Summary of study
Recent studies have shown that poor oral health, such as gum disease, can worsen other health conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes and dementia. Inflammatory bowel disease is linked to ulceration of the gut and some of these patients also suffer from inflammation in the mouth. The question we are trying to answer is 'Do people with poor oral health have a more severe form of inflammatory bowel disease?'
The first part of the study is to determine how many people with inflammatory bowel disease also have poor oral health. This will be determined through the use of an online oral health questionnaire. Individuals who we identify as suffering from both inflammatory bowel disease and poor oral health would be asked to attend an in-person appointment. During the appointment the individual would receive a full oral health check by a dentist and provide three samples (blood, saliva and stool) for analysis. We would then test the samples for markers of inflammation and determine the type of bacteria that live in the mouth (saliva) and gut (stool).
Our study will help us understand how poor oral health and inflammatory bowel disease influence each other. It is possible that improving oral health could benefit people with inflammatory bowel disease.
