Periodontitis (Gum Disease) and the Liver

[Richard-Allen]

Last week I enjoyed a very interesting Zoom meeting with a presentation being given by a professor of Periodontology and head of the School of Dentistry at the University of Birmingham, UK.

During the presentation it was stated that once the bacterial infection enters the bloodstream it can find its way to the liver, and in non-alcohol-related fatty liver disease there is emerging evidence that this can contribute to liver damage, via the bugs themselves, the factors they release or via inflammatory events that they trigger.

The image above illustrates the bacteria in the gum entering the blood system.

What this means is that when Fatty liver has been diagnosed, the cause should be established rather than just telling the patient the normal advice, lose weight, stop drinking, and eat a healthier diet.

It’s therefore important to tell your doctor of any other underlying medical conditions you may have, irrespective of how trivial they may seem. In this case, treating the dental issue will quite likely alleviate the damage being caused to the liver.

(I would like to thank the professor for permitting me to use this slide taken from their presentation).

[Sezbet]

Thank you, as someone who’s struggled with gum disease for years this could be significant.

[deanw41]

My gums were dreadful when I was decompensated. One way I new my liver has healing was by my dentist comments on my gum health!!

[teletonetapper]

Always informative and welcoming news. Thank you for posting and the time given to attend the presentation.

[Corin1950]

Thanks for posting this Richard. I’ve read about this too recently and was shocked because I’d had a lot of issues with my gums about 4 years ago. I solved the gum disease by 3 monthly appointments with the hygienist and using an electric toothbrush thoroughly. Whether it made my NAFLD worse I don’t know but it’s certainly possible it did.