Consumption of Omega-3 Fatty Acids, DHA and EPA, May Slow or Prevent Periodontal Disease

by | Apr 8, 2010 | 2009, DHA, Oral Health

Written by Susan Sweeny Johnson, PhD, Biochem.

The omega -3 fatty acids from fish oil, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), play an important role in reducing inflammation in the body (1-5). Periodontal disease, the loss of gum tissue and bone supporting the teeth, is due to bacteria inducing inflammation in the gums. Periodontal disease is the primary cause of tooth loss in the elderly (6). There is a strong correlation between tooth loss and dietary deficiency which normally occurs with aging (7).

This new study was designed to examine any correlation between consumption of DHA and EPA and incidence of periodontal disease in an elderly Japanese population. From the general population, 26 men and 29 women all aged 74 years were selected for this five year study. At the beginning of the study each participant’s dietary intake for three consecutive days was carefully recorded and assessed by a dietician. For statistical analysis these participants were then divided into three groups (tertiles); highest, middle and lowest intakes of DHA or EPA. Participants with at least one remaining tooth were examined once a year for five years and the number of incidents of periodontal disease were recorded.

At the beginning of the study, there was a strong correlation between the number of teeth a participant had and the amount of DHA or EPA in their diet. For both DHA and EPA, the tertile with highest consumption had 22 + 7 teeth while the lowest tertile had 15 + 10 teeth (p= 0.013*). After the five year study was completed and statistical analysis was applied to eliminate important variables such as sex and smoking, the lowest DHA tertile had a significant fifty percent increase in periodontal incidence as compared to the highest tertile. The lowest EPA tertile showed a similar trend as compared to the highest EPA tertile but was not considered significant by statistical analysis. (The mean number of periodontal disease incidences during the study was 7 + 5.)

Although the study group was small, the study was carefully analyzed. The group of participants and the 5000 who were initially surveyed had similar diets and dental health suggesting that the participants reflected the general population.

Overall, then, intake of omega -3 fatty acids DHA and EPA seem to reduce the incidence of periodontal disease perhaps by reducing the inflammatory response.  Further study is warranted.

Almost 80% of Americans will develop periodontal disease sometime in their life. Preventing gum disease and tooth decay can save at least 60% of all dental care costs, which amounted to nearly $100 billion in the US in 2007. Thus $60 billion a year in dental care costs could be saved by preventing gum disease. Employed adults lose more than 164 million hours of work each year due to oral health problems or dental visits (8). Prevention of periodontal disease also has a quality of life component that cannot be measured in dollars.

* p is a measure of significance where p<0.05 is considered significant.

Source: Iwasaki, Masanori, et al. “Longitudinal relationship between dietary ω-3 fatty acids and periodontal disease.” Nutrition 26.11 (2010): 1105-1109.

© 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Posted April 8, 2010.

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