DENTAL health and mental health may be closely linked, according to research by Deakin University academics.
The university says it is are on the brink of a breakthrough field of research making connections between dental health, diet and mental health.
Researchers from Deakin’s IMPACT Strategic Research Centre have found that poor dental health increases the likelihood of being depressed.
The finding has implications for the causes and treatment of depression.
“Not only did we find a connection between dental health and depression, but we also demonstrated that a dose-response exists between the two conditions, meaning that the more dental conditions one has, the greater the severity of their depression,” said Deakin’s Dr Adrienne O’Neil, currently completing the second year of her Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Research Fellowship.
The researchers drew on data from a survey of more than 10,000 people in the United States. They found almost two-thirds reporting depression (61 per cent) also reported having an aching mouth in the past year. More than half (57.4 per cent) considered their teeth to be in fair or poor condition.
But the discomfort of having to put up with toothache – painful as it is – is unlikely to be the cause of the depression, says Deakin.
Researchers now consider depression an inflammatory disorder, meaning that sources of inflammation such as bad dietary habits, being overweight, or having certain other medical conditions, can contribute to the biological processes that induce mental disorders from a very early age.
However, the research in this field is only just beginning. Poor dental health, which is a source of inflammation, has not been investigated extensively in the context of its links with mental health.
“The relationship between dental health and depression is not well understood, with previous studies investigating poor dental health as a by-product of depression, rather than a precursor,” Dr O’Neil said.
“The results of this study add to emerging theories around the importance of oral health and bacteria in mental health.
“This is an exciting area of research that Deakin is exploring further, through a longitudinal study in Australia of how microbiota and bacteria in the mouth, as well as the gut, may be related to inflammatory disease, including depression.
“If poor dental health is a risk factor for depression, this may have implications for depression management, as well as depression prevention from a public health perspective.”
