Our Blog
18
Aug
Omega-3 Also Helps Gum Disease
When we wrote earlier about natural supplements that help gum disease, we weren’t aware of the results of a brand-new study published confirming that another natural supplement may help improve your gum health: Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly the DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) variety has recently been shown to provide substantial improvement in the health of gum tissues.
Significant Gum Disease Improvement
In this study, 55 people with moderate periodontitis were divided randomly between receiving omega-3 supplements (2000 mg) and receiving a soy/corn oil placebo pill. All participants also received 81 mg of aspirin (which has also been shown to help treat gum disease), but none of them got any other treatments for their gum disease.
After three months, the two groups were compared on a variety of measures of gum disease severity. The group taking the omega-3 supplements had significant improvement of pocket depth and gum index. Their gums also had lower levels of high-sensitive C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammatory disease.
Confirming Earlier Results
This study confirms earlier results that showed people benefited significantly from taking omega-3 supplements. In this study, patients had conventional gum disease treatment, scaling and root planing, and either took omega-3 supplements or didn’t during recovery. The study showed that people taking the supplements had much more improvement in pocket depth and attachment of the gums than people who didn’t take supplements.
Combined, these two studies make a strong case for the benefit of omega-3 and aspirin for improving the results of gum disease treatment. It should be noted that, although the first study showed improvement without gum disease treatment, omega-3 and aspirin should not be seen as standalone treatments for gum disease. There are many aspects of gum disease that didn’t improve in the study, and even where improvement was noted, it was compared to people not taking supplements but also not getting treatment.
If you are looking for expert gum disease treatment, please call (310) 275-5325 for an appointment with a Beverly Hills periodontist at Nicolas A. Ravon, DDS, MSD.