A Healthy Lifestyle Supports a Healthy Smile

It is no secret that oral health and overall health are strongly linked. After all, your mouth is the gateway to your body, and it can play a huge role in what happens to your systemic wellness. However, the opposite is also true. Your head-to-toe health can have a big impact on your smile! In this blog post, we take a look at some recent research that highlights that connection.

LE8 and Your Risk of Periodontitis

The study set out to determine the relationship between Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) and periodontitis (advanced gum disease) in U.S. adults. LE8 is a scoring system based on some of the biggest factors that affect heart health. The scoring system goes from 0 to 100, with higher numbers meaning a lower risk of heart problems.

Four of the LE8 are related to behaviors — diet, physical activity, the use of nicotine, and sleep quality. The others are things that a doctor would measure, including BMI, cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood glucose levels.

Not surprisingly, the study found that people with higher LE8 scores (over 50) were significantly less likely to have periodontitis than individuals with lower scores.

A Closer Look at LE8 and Periodontitis Risk

Some LE8 factors seem to have a larger bearing on the risk of gum disease than others. The most impactful is whether or not a person smokes; obviously, the use of cigarettes can be profoundly harmful for both oral and overall health. The study concluded that smoking accounted for more than 60% of lifestyle’s impact on gum health

Blood glucose levels, sleep quality, and blood pressure were all also found to be highly impactful. And even though diet was not one of the biggest influencers in the LE8, that does not make it less important — remember, your diet can have a big bearing on your blood glucose levels and can contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes.

The Main Takeway

The main takeaway from the information discussed in this blog post is simply this — your mouth and body should not be treated as different systems!  If you want to remain free of gum disease, it is important that you pay attention to your overall wellness. Work to establish beneficial lifestyle habits so you can maintain a healthy smile and healthy body.

Meet the Practice

Dr. Preetha Thomas is an experienced holistic dentist who serves the Southlake, TX, area. She and our team are happy to offer a range of services, and we love to provide helpful tips on how our patients can protect their oral and overall health. To learn more about how we may be able to serve you or to request an appointment, contact Enclave Dental at 817-912-1218.