| Title: | Systemic inflammation is a risk factor for oral health: an analysis of data from the UK Biobank |
| Journal: | Frontiers in Immunology |
| Published: | 22 Jan 2026 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41660612/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1651947 |
| URL: | https://public-pages-files-2025.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1651947/pdf |
Publication 18499
WARNING: the interactive features of this website use CSS3, which your browser does not support. To use the full features of this website, please update your browser.
Abstract
Background: Oral health has been implicated as a contributor to systemic inflammation and cardiovascular disease. However, the reverse relationship-whether systemic inflammation causally affects oral health-remains poorly defined. This study investigates the directional role of systemic inflammation in oral disease using genetic and phenotypic data from the UK Biobank.</p>
Methods: We analyzed data from 468,460 UK Biobank participants, integrating self-reported oral health measures with plasma levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP). To assess causality, we examined the IL6R single nucleotide polymorphism rs2228145 (p.Asp358Ala), a well-characterized variant associated with impaired IL-6 receptor signaling and reduced systemic inflammation.</p>
Results: Higher hsCRP tertiles were significantly associated with increased prevalence of poor oral health indicators, including tooth loss, dentures, bleeding gums, and loose teeth (all p < 0.001). Carriers of the IL6R C/C genotype exhibited significantly lower hsCRP levels and a reduced burden of oral pathology, including lower odds for toothache (OR 0.91 [95%CI 0.87-0.94]), bleeding gums (OR 0.97 [95%CI 0.94-0.99]), and loose teeth (OR 0.92 [95%CI 0.88-0.96]).</p>
Conclusion: Our findings support systemic inflammation-mediated via IL-6 signaling-as a causal determinant of impaired oral health. This study provides novel evidence for a directional link from systemic inflammation to oral disease, with potential implications for targeted immunomodulatory interventions in oral health.</p>
19 Keywords
- Adult
- Aged
- Biological Specimen Banks
- Biomarkers
- C-Reactive Protein
- Female
- Genetic Predisposition to Disease
- Genotype
- Humans
- Inflammation
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Mouth Diseases
- Oral Health
- Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
- Receptors, Interleukin-6
- Risk Factors
- UK Biobank
- United Kingdom
8 Authors
- Martin Berger
- Jaana-Sophia Kern
- Ulrike Schulze-Späte
- Stefan Wolfart
- Joachim Jankowski
- Michael Wolf
- Nikolaus Marx
- Katharina Marx-Schütt
1 Application
| Application ID | Title |
|---|---|
| 88924 | The role of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms on diabetic cardiomyopathy in the UK biobank |
Enabling scientific discoveries that improve human health