STORY: STRESS AND GUMS

SCRIPT # 538 SHOOT: 12/9/03

AIRDATE: Monday, Dec. 29, 2003

Daybreak and Midday

DHC MASTER #18 Timecode: 49:33 New research released this month

from Harvard University connects

anger to a gum disease called

periodontitis.

How can emotion affect your

oral health?

Dr. Linda Niessen has details

of the study in today’s

SOVT: 1:28 Dental Health Check.

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GUM PATIENT (VOICE-OVER)

For years, dentists have connected

the two problems: stressed out

patients who also have gum disease.

SUPER: Dr. Jackie Plemons (“Their immune systems are stressed

Periodontist :09-13 out. They can’t fight infection as well.”)

WEBSITE In the Journal of the American

Dental Association, Harvard University

researchers reported that men who are angry on a daily basis had a 43 percent higher risk of developing periodontitis, an infection of the bones that hold the

teeth in.

DR. PLEMONS (“In this particular study, they looked

at men who experienced anger more

frequently in their lives.”)

GENERAL SHOTS OF PEOPLE Anger causes the body to release

stress hormones, which depress

the immune system and increase

resistance to insulin.

DR. PLEMONS (“And in a patient under stress, we have

more of those chemicals and more of

challenge in maintaining periodontal

health.”)

SMOKING Other risk factors play a role. If

you smoke, you have a much greater

risk of developing periodontal disease than a non-smoker. Diabetes also increases the risk.

GRAPHICS

Signs of Periodontal Disease The signs of gum disease are red,

Red, swollen or tender gums swollen or tender gums; gums that

Gums that bleed when you brush bleed when you brush; bad breath

Bad breath that doesn’t go away that doesn’t go away; loose teeth;

Loose teeth or a change in the way the teeth

Change in way teeth fit together fit together.

(STAND-UP CLOSE)

SUPER: Dr. Linda Niessen 1:12-1:17 Any activity that reduces stress,

Baylor College of Dentistry isolation, or anger can improve your

oral health. So exercise, meditation,

joining a group, or starting a hobby

may be just what the dentist

ordered. For Baylor College of

Dentistry, Texas A&M System,

I’m Dr. Linda Niessen, Channel 8

News.

Study cited is in

Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA)

www.ada.org/public/media/releases

Click on “Study suggests socializing, reducing

anger are allies against gum disease.”

December issue of JADA