Plant-based diets are put to the test in the treatment of periodontal disease. What is the effect of nutrition on periodontal disease? “Periodontal disease is a bacterial infection that results in inflammatory destruction of the connective tissue and bone that support the teeth,” and is therefore “one of the leading causes of” our teeth falling out. Like most infections, though, how our body responds may play a critical role. Yes, “the presence of bacteria is the primary [cause, but] a susceptible host is also necessary for disease initiation.”
The standard explanation of periodontal disease is the plaque theory: the buildup of plaque leads to gingivitis—gum inflammation—which leads to the periodontitis, inflammation lower down beneath the gums. But in some forms of periodontal disease, plaque doesn’t appear to play a critical role. Therefore, in the last few years, there has been more interest in the importance of systemic health, our body’s response. “In this respect, nutrition may be of great importance, since it has been implicated in a number of [other] inflammatory diseases”—all of which carry elevated periodontal disease risk….