At Honour Health, we understand the mutual links between dental health and general health, and this holistic approach underpins the way we provide care for our patients.
For our latest blog post, dentist Gulshan Dhanoya collaborated with Newcastle-based Fertility and Endometriosis Specialist and patient Louise Collyer (pictured above) to discuss endometriosis and how it can impact upon dental health.
Firstly, what is endometriosis?
Louise: “Endometriosis is a condition in which endometrial cells – which should be confined to inside the uterus – have implanted themselves outside in the peritoneal cavity and various other locations of the body. Collectively these are known as lesions. It can be extremely painful for the sufferer and brings with it a host of anatomical, musculoskeletal and inflammatory issues as demonstrated by the image below.”
How does endometriosis affect the mouth?
Louise: “A woman with endometriosis is understood to have systemic inflammation through her whole body, which means along with the above symptoms of painful and heavy periods she is also more prone to having jaw pain, headaches, neck ache and mouth pain during her menses.”
Gulshan: “Inflammatory cytokines and mediators present in endometriosis can contribute to systemic inflammation, potentially affecting oral tissues and contributing to periodontal disease. There are also links between endometriosis and systemic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and autoimmune disorders, which themselves have established connections to oral health.”
How is endometriosis diagnosed?
Louise: “Obtaining diagnosis can sometimes be tricky because the gold star method of diagnosis is via laparascopic surgery, and given the risks and cost/availability of surgery this is obviously avoided until absolutely necessary. Symptoms might be dismissed as IBS or worse, ‘just painful periods’.
“The conventional medical approach is to prescribe pain relief medication – and sometimes hormonal contraceptives – in order to suppress a woman’s natural hormonal cycle which is believed to encourage progression of the disease. These methods work for some, but quite often fail to work for many. They also fail to address some of the root issues which exacerbate the condition.
“Although it has historically been misclassified as a hormone problem, in recent years we now understand the condition to be an ‘immune-related chronic inflammatory disease’ with a derangement in nearly all immune activity.
“This more accurate understanding of the disease is helped by recent discoveries in microbial research and ‘the bacterial contamination theory of endometriosis’, which suggests that bacteria – specifically Fusobacterium – play a central role in the development of the condition.”
Gulshan: “Fusobacterium is one of the key bacterial species involved in periodontal disease. It plays a crucial role in the formation of dental plaque, gingivitis and periodontal disease. Furthermore, fusobacterium has been seen to be involved in endodontic infections (root canal infections) and linked to Halitosis (bad breath).”
How do you help women with endometriosis?
Louise: “In my line of work, a lot of women seek treatment with me to help manage the condition naturally through naturopathic means and also to help improve the conditions for trying to conceive. By making targeted dietary changes, administering herbs and supplements appropriate to the individual’s presentation and using acupuncture to tackle pain and improve uterine and pelvic circulation, much can be done to improve the day to day experience of living with endometriosis and avoiding or reducing pharmaceutical intervention.
“I also focus on supporting and repairing microbiome issues. Thanks to modern forms of investigations with NGS (Next Generation Sequencing) microbiome tests and blood tests which look closely at gut barrier health, we are able to make an assessment of the patient’s overall microbiome health and how to repair it. This can make a world of difference to somebody suffering with chronic gut issues, skin complaints and if there is a history of recurrent miscarriages or infertility.
“Interestingly we also screen closely for any oral microbiome red flags and I regularly ask my patients to see their hygienist for an oral assessment. There are a couple of bacteria – Fusobacterium being one – that when translocated from the mouth to the pelvis are associated with pre-term birth and miscarriage, so ensuring that their oral hygiene is optimal helps me to help my endometriosis patient continue their pregnancy through to term. Fortunately we now have an oral microbiome test at our disposal as well.”
Thank you for your time Louise.
If you would like any further information, or to arrange an appointment with Louise,
Email- louise@louisecollyeracupuncture.co.uk
Find Louise on Instagram – @_louisecollyer_
Visit Louise’s website – www.louisecollyeracupuncture.co.uk
Make an appointment at:
Jesmond Natural Health and Fertility
1 Osborne Road
N.U.T
NE2 2AA
To make an appointment for you next dental health assessment or hygiene visit at Honour Health, call:
Honour Health Jesmond on 0191 281 3913 or email jesmond@honourhealth.co.uk
Honour Health Ponteland on 01661 821 412 or email ponteland@honourhealth.co.uk
Honour Health Stanley on 01207 232 725 or email stanley@honourhealth.co.uk