| Title: | Associations between oral health problems and inflammatory bowel disease: evidence from prospective cohort study |
| Journal: | Frontiers in Immunology |
| Published: | 12 Mar 2026 |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2026.1751956 |
| URL: | http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2026.1751956 |
Publication 17402
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Abstract
An association exists between oral health problems and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, few studies have considered comprehensive oral health problems and the concurrent presence of multiple oral health problems in relation to IBD. Additionally, the role of inflammatory responses as a mediator in this relationship remains unexplored. This study aimed to investigate association between oral health problems and IBD utilizing data from the UK Biobank. Oral health were assessed via self-reported. IBD was defined by disease classification codes from the International Classification of Diseases-10. Cox regression models were employed to analyze the relationships between oral health problems and IBD, using mediation analysis to investigate the role and effect size of inflammatory indicators in this association. Among 412,134 participants, mouth ulcers (HR: 1.25, 95% CI: 1.02-1.53), painful gums (HR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.12-2.03), and dentures (HR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.10-1.53) linked to Crohn's disease (CD) risk. Mouth ulcers (HR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.01-1.34) and dentures (HR: 1.18, 95% CI: 1.05-1.33) linked to ulcerative Colitis (UC) risk. Having two (HR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.02-1.63)/three (HR: 1.69, 95% CI: 1.14-2.49)/more than three (HR: 2.13, 95% CI: 1.20-3.78) oral health problems correlated with CD risk, with more oral health problems correlating with higher CD risk (P for trend < 0.001). Low-grade inflammation index (INFLA-score) positively mediated the association between painful gums (proportion mediated=3.09%)/dentures (proportion mediated=5.40%) and CD. Mouth ulcers and dentures may increase the risk of CD and UC, while painful gums associates with CD. More oral health problems link to higher CD risk. Inflammatory responses partially mediating the association between painful gums/dentures and CD.</p>
6 Authors
- Yixiao Wang
- Xiuxiu Sun
- Jiahao Chen
- Tong Wang
- Wanchun Wang
- Dongfeng Zhang
1 Application
| Application ID | Title |
|---|---|
| 95715 | Effects of genomic, metabolomic, environmental and clinical factors on neurological and psychiatric disorders, and construction of predictive models |
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