Frequent tooth brushing reduces risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: Study

Written By : Dr. Nandita Mohan |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2021-02-08T09:00:28+05:30 | Updated On 8 Feb 2021 2:40 PM IST

It has been recently found out that frequent tooth brushing was shown to significantly reduce the risk of developing the nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), as published in the Karger Journal.

Hence, Yamamoto K and colleagues from the St Luke's International Hospital, Tokyo, Japan conducted this study to evaluate the association between the frequency of daily tooth brushing and the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

The authors carried out a retrospective longitudinal study at the Center for Preventive Medicine at St. Luke's International Hospital, Japan. Data on all participants who underwent a health checkup during the study period were collected. A total of 25,804 people participated in the study. A total of 3,289 (12.7%) participants developed NAFLD. The mean age was 45.2 years, and 6,901 (26.7%) of the participants were male.

NAFLD was diagnosed by abdominal ultrasonography, and all participants who were diagnosed with NALFD at the time of their initial visit, consumed alcohol in any amount, or had received only one health checkup was excluded.

The questionnaire for the frequency of daily tooth brushing was conducted as part of health checkups. The primary outcome was the risk of developing NAFLD according to the frequency of daily tooth brushing (1-2 times a day, or 3 times a day) compared to those who brush teeth once or less than once a day.

The results revealed that the risk of developing NAFLD significantly decreased with increased frequency of daily tooth brushing. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were as follows: Brushing teeth 1-2 times a day (OR: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.77-0.95), and 3 times a day (OR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.67-0.82).

Therefore, the authors concluded that "frequent tooth brushing was shown to significantly reduce the risk of developing NAFLD."

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an umbrella term for a range of liver conditions affecting people who drink little to no alcohol. As the name implies, the main characteristic of NAFLD is too much fat stored in liver cells. NAFLD is increasingly common around the world, especially in Western nations. In the United States, it is the most common form of chronic liver disease, affecting about one-quarter of the population. However, there is seldom literature that studies the association of tooth brushing and NAFLD.

Frequent tooth brushingnonalcoholic fatty liver diseaseriskKarger Journal

Source : Karger Journal

Dr. Nandita Mohan

BDS, MDS( Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry)

Dr. Nandita Mohan is a practicing pediatric dentist with more than 5 years of clinical work experience. Along with this, she is equally interested in keeping herself up to date about the latest developments in the field of medicine and dentistry which is the driving force for her to be in association with Medical Dialogues. She also has her name attached with many publications; both national and international. She has pursued her BDS from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bangalore and later went to enter her dream specialty (MDS) in the Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry from Pt. B.D. Sharma University of Health Sciences. Through all the years of experience, her core interest in learning something new has never stopped. She can be contacted at editorial@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751