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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    Why is gum disease more common in people with rheumatoid arthritis?

    Related Topics
    Oral Health Rheumatoid Arthritis Rheumatology
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    Dr Kevin Jaffar

    Dentist

    Jaffar Dental - Trusted and Established since 1997. We are a family owned General Dental Practice offering a friendly and caring environment in Waterford QLD. … View Profile

    Arthritic changes can affect the immune system. Once the immune system is compromised, the reaction of the gums to bacteria can be more sensitive.

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    Dr Mehran Shaibani

    Dentist

    Dr. Shaibani covers all aspects dentistry from simple to most complex dental rehabilitation cases.He is a member of ADA and ADAQ and a few other … View Profile

    It should be noted that Rheumatoid Artheritis is different condition to Osteoartheritis (Artheritis).
    In patients with Rheumatoid we see, in general, connective tissue degradation and periodontal tissue is one of them. 

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    Dr Irwin Lim

    Rheumatologist

    Irwin has been a rheumatologist in Sydney since 2003. He is a co-founder and medical director of BJC Health, which consists of a team of … View Profile

    Actually, this is a very interesting question and it is a chicken & egg situation.

    There is increasing evidence that periodontitis is associated with rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, a poor periodontal state leads to more difficult to control disease. Improving/treating periodontitis may help control rheumatoid arthritis.

    So, periodontitis is actually being considered as a possible environmental factor leading to the development of rheumatoid arthritis.

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