Click to listen to the recent podcast interview. Dr. Danenberg favors a Mark Sisson-style “primal” paleo diet. Dr. Danenberg attributes most common periodontal and dental problems to our modern diets with their prominent acellular carbohydrates and associated gut microbiome changes.
To find other dentists and dental hygienists who support a paleo diet approach to dental issues, click on “Teeth” in the subject categories in the far right-hand column.
Steve Parker, M.D.
Comments Off on Jimmy Moore Found a Paleo-Friendly Periodontist, Dr. Alvin Danenberg
Posted in Teeth
Tagged Dr. Alvin Danenberg, Jimmy Moore, periodontal disease
…according to an article at University Herald.
That milk mustache is a tell-tale sign she’s not eating pure paleo
The idea is that nasty bacteria around your gums somehow cause arterial inflammation in your heart arteries, which could lead to heart attacks. I’ve written about this before.
A quote from the article:
The researchers followed 420 adults as part of the Oral Infections and Vascular Disease Epidemiology Study (INVEST), a randomly sampled prospective cohort of Northern Manhattan residents. Participants were examined for periodontal infection. Overall, 5,008 plaque samples were taken from several teeth, beneath the gum, and analyzed for 11 bacterial strains linked to periodontal disease and seven control bacteria. Fluid around the gums was sampled to assess levels of Interleukin-1β, a marker of inflammation. Atherosclerosis in both carotid arteries was measured using high-resolution ultrasound.
Over a median follow-up period of three years, the researchers found that improvement in periodontal health-health of the gums-and a reduction in the proportion of specific bacteria linked to periodontal disease correlated to a slower intima-medial thickness (IMT) progression, and worsening periodontal infections paralleled the progression of IMT. Results were adjusted for potential confounders such as body mass index, cholesterol levels, diabetes, and smoking status.
Thickening of the arterial lining is linked to higher rates of heart attack and stroke.
It remains to be seen whether alteration of gum bacteria and periodontal disease via oral self-care and dental care will reduce cardiovascular risk going forward. Stay tuned.
Posted in Heart Disease, Teeth
Tagged arterial inflammation, atherosclerosis, gums, heart disease, mouth bacteria, oral bacteria, periodontal disease
Cross-section of a tooth
When I think about a Paleolithic approach to dental disease, the first expert that comes to mind is dentist John Sorrentino, D.D.S. The only other living “authority” that pops up is Stephan Guyenet, Ph.D., and he’s not even a dentist. Stephan focused his literature review more on malocclusions than teeth per se, as I recall. Dr. Sorrentino cites dentist Weston A. Price as a ground-breaker, documenting the deterioration of dental health as traditional cultures moved to modern diets loaded with refined and concentrated sugars and starches.
Fortunately for us, Dr. Sorrentino has blogged about the intersection of dentistry, evolution, and the paleo diet. Malocclusion and caries (cavities) weren’t problems for our Paleolithic ancestors, although “…they wore thru their enamel by the time they were middle aged.” Then what happened?
Regarding caries, Dr. Sorrentino wrote:
Caries was just about non-existent because simple sugars and the refined carbohydrates that cause them were just not present in any Paleolithic diet. Since the Paleolithic covered such a vast period of time and many, many different populations it is important to remember that there is no one “Paleolithic Diet,” but rather a continuum or “envelope” of certain related types of foodstuffs that were consumed. These included but were not limited to fish, shellfish, leafy green plants, root vegetables, and fruit in season. It was interesting to note that there is decay in some lowland gorillas. It is present mostly as interproximal decay on the upper anterior teeth. It was speculated that sucking on fruit or raiding human garbage dumps, common in the area, caused this. In either case it shows that our closest living relatives are not very well adapted to eat sugar either.
Are these healthy teeth a result of proper diet, dental self-care, dentistry, Photoshop, or a combination?
I was perusing his website looking for reliable information on flossing and Water Pik-like devices and their proper roles in periodontal disease and caries prevention. I didn’t find much other than recommendations to eat a paleo diet, naturally low in concentrated sugars and refined starches, especially grains.
Posted in Teeth
Tagged caries, dentistry, flossing, John Sorrentino, paleo diet, paleolithic diet, periodontal disease, Stephan Guyenet, teeth, Weston A. Price
Simple dinner roll, or a future HEART ATTACK?
Adherents of the paleo diet and low-carb diets will love this post; it supports their choices.
Dentists are considering a return to an old theory that dietary carbohydrates first cause dental diseases, then certain systemic chronic diseases, according to a review in the June 1, 2009, Journal of Dental Research. It’s written by Dr. Philippe P. Hujoel, who has been active in dental research for decades and is affiliated with the University of Washington (Seattle). He is no bomb-throwing, crazed, radical.
We’ve known for years that some dental and systemic diseases are associated with each other, both for individuals and populations. For example, gingivitis and periodontal disease are associated with type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease. The exact nature of that association is not clear. In the 1990s it seemed that infections – chlamydia, for example – might be the unifying link, but this has not been supported by subsequent research.
The “old theory” to which I referred earlier is the Cleave-Yudkin idea from the 1960s and ’70s that excessive intake of digestible carbohydrates, in the absence of good dental care, leads both to certain dental diseases – caries (cavities), periodontal disease, certain oral cancers, and leukoplakia – and to some common systemic chronic non-communicable diseases such as coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, and dementia. In other words, dietary carbohydrates cause both dental and systemic diseases – not all cases of those diseases, of course, but some.
In the context of excessive carbohydrate intake, the article frequently mentions sugar, refined carbs, and high-glycemic-index carbs. Dental effects of excessive carb intake can appear within weeks or months, whereas the sysemtic effects may take decades.
Hujoel compares and contrasts Ancel Keys’ Diet-Heart/Lipid Hypothesis with the Cleave-Yudkin Carbohydrate Theory. In Dr. Hujoel’s view, the latest research data favor the Carbohydrate Theory as an explanation of many cases of the aforementioned dental and systemic chronic diseases. If correct, the theory has important implications for prevention of dental and systemic diseases: namely, dietary carbohydrate restriction.
I agree with Dr. Hujoel that we need a long-term prospective trial of serious low-carb eating versus the standard American high-carb diet. Take 20,000 people, randomize them to one of the two diets, follow their dental and systemic health over 15-30 years, then compare the two groups. Problem is, I’m not sure it can be done. It’s hard enough for most people to follow a low-carb diet for four months. And I’m asking for 30 years?!
Dr. Hujoel writes:
Possibly, when it comes to fermentable carbohydrates, teeth would then become to the medical and dental professionals what they have always been for paleoanthropologists: “extremely informative about age, sex, diet, health.”
Dr. Hujoel mentioned a review of six studies that showed a 30% reduction in gingivitis score by following a diet moderately reduced in carbs. He mentions the aphorism: “no carbohydrates, no caries.” Anyone prone to dental caries or ongoing periodontal disease should do further research to see if switching to low-carb eating might improve the situation.
Don’t be surprised if your dentist isn’t very familiar with the concept.
Reference: Hujoel, P. Dietary carbohydrates and dental-systemic diseases. Journal of Dental Research, 88 (2009): 490-502.
Mendosa, David. Our dental alarm bell. MyDiabetesCentral.com, July 12, 2009.
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