- An international team of researchers collected information on 8,662 Americans
Losing a tooth is no reason to smile, but scientists have discovered that it can also be a pain in the butt.
People who lose teeth due to poor oral hygiene are more likely to suffer from chronic pain in the lower back and buttocks, according to new research.
And the more teeth are lost, the worse the pain.
It’s unclear why the back end should be affected, but one theory is that gum disease periodontitis can trigger an immune response that causes painful inflammation elsewhere.
Previous research has shown that people with gum disease are two to three times more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke, but the new study is the first to investigate links between chronic pain and tooth loss. .
People who lose teeth due to poor oral hygiene are more likely to suffer from chronic pain in the lower back and buttocks, according to new research. (File image)
It’s unclear why the back end should be affected, but one theory is that gum disease periodontitis can trigger an immune response that causes painful inflammation elsewhere. (File image)
An international team of researchers collected information on 8,662 American men and women, counting their teeth and recording existing health conditions as well as lifestyle data such as eating and smoking habits, as well as recording their chronic pain levels.
“The results suggest a clinically significant relationship between chronic pain and tooth loss,” said study co-author Dr. Kevin Sheng-Kai Ma of the University of Pennsylvania.
“We found that edentulous (edentulous) patients were significantly more likely to experience chronic pain in the lower extremities or buttocks for more than three months compared to those with more than 20 teeth.”
The study, published in the academic Journal Of Pain, also found that people suffering from chronic pain had an average of 22.2 teeth, while those without pain had an average of 24.5.
Chronic pain was experienced in different parts of the body, including the back and legs. People without teeth were 50 percent more likely to have chronic pain in their buttocks and almost 80 percent more likely to have it in their legs and feet, regardless of other health and lifestyle factors.
Pain is classified as chronic if it lasts more than three months despite treatment.