Researchers report that sufferers of gum disease who also have a severe form of rheumatoid arthritis reduced their arthritic pain, number of swollen joints and the degree of morning stiffness when they cured their dental problems.

"It was exciting to find that if we eliminated the infection and inflammation in the gums, then patients with a severe kind of active rheumatoid arthritis reported improvement on the signs and symptoms of that disease," said Nabil Bissada, study author.

This is not the first time that gum disease and rheumatoid arthritis have been linked. According to Ali Askari, another researcher in the study, "From way back, rheumatologists and other clinicians have been perplexed by the myth that gum disease may have a big role in causing systematic disease."

Askari and Bissada are part of a team of researchers that studied 40 patients with moderate to severe periodontal disease and a severe form of rheumatoid arthritis.

The study results should prompt rheumatologists to encourage their patients to be aware of the link between periodontal disease and rheumatoid arthritis, says Askari.

Bissada notes that gum disease tends to be prevalent in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Both inflammatory diseases share similarities in the progression of the disease over time. In both diseases, the soft and hard tissues are destroyed from inflammation caused by toxins from bacterial infection.

In another clinical study, 49 medically fit non-smokers (24 males and 25 females) aged 18-60 years with severe chronic gingivitis were randomly assigned to groups of which one group was given a tea tree gel. The tea tree gel group had significant reduction in gingival index and papillary bleeding index scores, demonstrating the anti-inflammatory properties of tea tree oil.

In vitro studies have shown that green tea polyphenols inhibit the growth and cellular adherence of periodontal pathogens and their production of virulence factors.
A study analyzed the correlation between green tea consumption and three indicators (probing depth, clinical attachment loss, and bleeding on probing) of periodontal disease in 940 Japanese men aged 49 to 59 years. For every cup of green tea consumed per day, there was a decrease in all three indicators.
References:
1. Nabil Bissada, et al. Periodontal Therapy Reduces the Severity of Active Rheumatoid Arthritis in Patients Treated With or Without Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors. Journal of Periodontology. 2009, Vol. 80, No. 4, Pages 535-540.
2. Soukoulis S, Hirsch R. The effects of a tea tree oil-containing gel on plaque and chronic gingivitis. Aust Dent J. 2004 Jun;49(2):78-83. PMID: 15293818.
3. Mitoshi Kushiyama, et al. Relationship Between Intake of Green Tea and Periodontal Disease. Journal of Periodontology. 2009, Vol. 80, No. 3, Pages 372-377.