Oral hygiene links to rheumatoid arthritis

Potential links between oral hygiene and rheumatoid arthritis is being explored by a team of academics based at Leeds.

Research from the Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine (LIRMM) and our School of Dentistry has shown higher rates of gum disease (periodontitis) and increased levels of the oral bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis in individuals who are at risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis.

This suggests both may be triggers for the autoimmune disease and potential targets for preventative measures.

The work is being led by Dr Kulveer Mankia and carried out in LIRMM and the NIHR Leeds Biomedical Research Centre. The team also includes Dr Laura Hunt, Dr Elizabeth Hensor, Dr Jackie Nam and Professor Paul Emery, alongside colleagues from Leeds Dental Institute (Professor Val Clerehugh, Dr Aradhna Tugnait and Dr Alastair Spiers) and Oral Microbiology (Dr Zijian Cheng, Dr Thuy Do, Dr Josie Meade, Dr Jing Kang and Professor Deirdre Devine).

Further information:

For interview requests please contact Simon Moore, University of Leeds press officer, on +44 (0)113 34 38059 and s.i.moore@leeds.ac.uk. 

For full details of this research and commentary see here.