The Role of Diet in Periodontal Inflammation: A Controlled Clinical Study

Experimental Gingivitis in Omnivores and Vegans. The Role of Diet in Periodontal Inflammation: A Controlled Clinical Study

Diet can influence the body's healing and repair mechanisms. A dietary imbalance obviously cannot trigger periodontal disease in the absence of a primum movens, which is bacterial plaque. However, it can condition its severity and extent by altering the permeability of the oral mucosa, the effectiveness of the immune response and the reparative potential of the gingival tissues.

Nutraceuticals is the science that studies the effects of the so-called food-drug, i.e. those foods that contain substances capable of performing a pharmacological function, modifying the functions of the organism. In particular, some molecules that are assimilated through various foods are able to penetrate the cell nucleus and influence, through an epigenetic mechanism, the expression or otherwise of some genes. The aim of the present longitudinal quasi-experimental study was to evaluate the gingival inflammatory response to experimentally induced plaque accumulation in periodontally healthy vegans and omnivores and to explore whether systemic biomarkers mediated the observed clinical effects.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Optimal systemic health conditions
• Non-Smoking
• Absence of cardio-vascular pathologies
• Absence of pulmonary pathologies
• Non-diabetic
• Not pregnant
• Presence of 28 teeth without prosthetic crowns or subgingival/juxtagingival interproximal restorations
• FMPS <20% at baseline
• FMBS <20% at baseline
• Omnivorous or vegan diet for at least a year
• Absence of periodontitis

Exclusion Criteria:

• Smokers
• Presence of systemic pathologies
• Presence of cardio-vascular disease
• Presence of periodontitis
• FMPS>20% at baseline
• FMBS>20% at baseline
• Pregnant women
• Presence of blood pathologies
• Taking medicines (hydantoins, nifedipine or cyclosporine)
• Taking oral contraceptives
• Bacterial, viral or fungal infections
• Idiopathic gingival fibromatosis
• Mucocutaneous disorders
• Allergic reactions to toothpastes and mouthwashes