Poor Oral Health Linked to Fibromyalgia and Migraines
/By Crystal Lindell
Poor oral health is significantly associated with body pain, headaches, and abdominal distress in women, according to a new study published in Frontiers in Pain Research. The research highlights the importance of dental hygiene and its role in fibromyalgia and other chronic pain conditions.
Australian researchers looked at the oral health of 158 women by using the World Health Organization's oral health questionnaire. Over two thirds of the women (67%) had fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition that causes fatigue, body pain and sleep disturbances.
Researchers also evaluated saliva samples from the women to look for four oral microbe species that have previously been associated with migraines.
They found that poor oral health scores, higher pain scores, and high microbe levels were significantly associated with each other. That suggests a potential role for the microbes as a cause of the pain experienced by the women.
“This is the first study to investigate oral health, oral microbiota and pain commonly experienced in women with fibromyalgia, with our study showing a clear and significant association between poor oral health and pain,” said lead investigator Joanna Harnett, PhD, an Associate Professor at the University of Sydney.
Women with the poorest oral health were more likely to suffer from higher pain scores. Sixty percent experienced moderate to severe body pain, and 49 percent were more likely to experience migraine headaches. Poor oral health was also a significant predictor of frequent and chronic migraine.
Researchers say it’s entirely plausible that poor oral health leads to gum disease and oral dysbiosis, an imbalance of microorganisms that can spread throughout the body. The bacteria then trigger more pain signalling, thus increasing widespread body pain.
“Our findings are particularly important to fibromyalgia, which, despite being a common rheumatological condition, is often underrecognized,” added first author Sharon Erdrich, a Doctorate Student and Research Assistant at the University of Sydney.
The research is especially interesting because dental health is often cordoned off from the rest of healthcare, at least in the United States. Dental insurance is usually completely separate from regular health insurance, and most doctors will not evaluate your teeth during an appointment.
Dental care is still often viewed as a cosmetic issue, despite the fact that dental pain is some of the worst pain imaginable. Studies like these show why trying to separate teeth off from the rest of healthcare is a failing strategy.
