A recent study from the University of Sydney has found a compelling link between poor oral health and increased occurrences of migraines, body pain and abdominal pain in women. This finding emphasizes the critical role of oral health in overall well-being and pain management.
A groundbreaking study from the University of Sydney has unveiled a significant connection between poor oral health and higher rates of migraines, abdominal pain and body pain in women. The research, published in Frontiers in Pain Research, suggests a startling link between the oral microbiome and the nervous system, with potential implications for chronic unexplained pain conditions, including fibromyalgia.
“This is the first study to investigate oral health, oral microbiota and pain commonly experienced in women with fibromyalgia, with our study showing a clear and significant association between poor oral health and pain,” lead investigator Joanna Harnett, an associate professor from the Faculty of Medicine and Health, said in a news release.
The study examined a diverse group of New Zealand women, both with and without fibromyalgia, to explore the associations between self-reported oral health, the oral microbiome and various pain manifestations.
Using tools like the WHO oral health questionnaire, the International Headache Society headache survey and other validated instruments, the researchers found strong correlations between oral health scores and pain.
“Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain … and headaches, as well as fatigue, sleep disturbances and cognitive problems,” added first author Sharon Erdrich, a doctoral candidate in the Faculty of Medicine and Health.
The study’s findings are particularly crucial for fibromyalgia patients, 67% of whom participated in the research.
Participants with poorer oral health were 60% more likely to experience moderate to severe body pain and 49% more likely to suffer from frequent migraines. These pain conditions were closely associated with specific oral microbes, including species from the Dialister, Fusobacterium, Parvimonas and Solobacterium genera, indicating a potential microbial link to pain.
While poor diet quality showed a weak but significant inverse correlation with oral health, the researchers highlighted that this aspect requires further investigation. These insights underscore the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene as part of general health care routines.
Source: University of Sydney