Exercise is great for our health … and our teeth too?

PD Dr. Kristina Bertl, PhD MSc MBA

Regular physical exercise and sport have a wealth of positive effects on our health. When you think about exercise, you might first think about cardiovascular health or bodyweight, but can physical exercise also have a positive effect when it comes to diseases of the oral cavity?

A Japanese research group recently examined this issue (Iwasaki et al. 2023). As part of a cross-sectional study, the authors investigated whether physical exercise could be correlated with the occurrence and potentially the severity of periodontal disease. They studied a total of 2,160 Japanese patients, 1,414 women and 746 men with an average age of approx. 58. A clinical examination was performed on each participant to check for any existing periodontitis and its severity, and to record their physical exercise habits using a validated questionnaire.

In total, 55% of study participants had moderate and 16% had severe periodontitis. Just under half stated that they regularly visit the dentist and approx. 62% stated that they regularly perform interdental cleaning in addition to cleaning their teeth; the study revealed a significant difference between male and female participants (67 versus 52%) in this respect. There was another difference between male and female participants in terms of smoking behaviour, with 91% of female participants stating that they had never smoked, in comparison to just 28% of male participants.

Another difference between the sexes was revealed in relation to the primary issue examined by the study:

This positive effect of physical exercise on the periodontium likely relates to the level of systemic inflammation. Others parameters – such as the significant difference in smoking behaviour between men and women – likely explain why this study only showed this benefit in women.

In summary, a potential positive effect of physical exercise on periodontal health is an interesting and likely often overlooked and/or unexpected effect.

References

1. Iwasaki M, Yoshihara A, Suwama K, et al. A cross-sectional study of the association between periodontitis and physical activity in the Japanese population. J Periodont Res. 2023;58:350-359.