Poor Nutrition

Healthy Gums Are Likely To Lie Behind Milk Mustaches

CHICAGO August 2, 2000 A study from the Journal of Periodontology has concluded that adults who consume three or more servings of calcium on a daily basis have greatly lowered chances of developing periodontal disease.

Nearly 13,000 individuals selected at random by the government were analyzed on the basis of their calcium consumption. The published information indicates that, of those researched, men and women who consumed less than 500 milligrams of calcium a day had twice the chance of having periodontal disease. Specifically, those in their 20s and 30s were at an even greater risk of developing the disease.

Low Dietary Vitamin-C Can Increase Risk For Periodontal Disease

CHICAGO August 16, 2000 A study released in the Journal of Periodontology indicates that those who consume fewer than the recommended amount of Vitamin C have a greater risk of developing periodontal disease.

The study was conducted on 12,419 U.S. adults, and concluded that those who consumed fewer than 60 mg of Vitamin C a day, the equivalent of one orange, were almost one and a half times more likely of having severe gingivitis. Gingivitis is an early stage of periodontal disease and leads to red, swollen gums that bleed upon contact.