Arthritis: Good dental health may ease pain

Rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, is a chronic disease that causes inflammation, pain, stiffness, redness, swelling and warmth around affected joints. Roughly 1.3 million Americans -- 70% of them are women -- have RA. What causes it? We don't know yet, but we do know that although it can be treated, this chronic disease can't be cured.

Still, there are new ways to help people with RA. One study of 40 people with severe RA who also had gum disease showed that when dental problems were treated, RA problems also improved, resulting in less arthritic pain, fewer swollen joints and reduced morning stiffness.


There's also new hope for the estimated 27 million Americans who have osteoarthritis, or OA, a painful and debilitating condition that causes loss of cartilage in weight-bearing joints such as the knees, hips and spine. People who lost as little as 5% of their body weight reduced their risk of developing OA in the knees, a six-year study of 1,480 men and women age 45 and older found. For a 200-pound person, 5% is only 10 pounds; for a 150-pound person, it's just 7.5 pounds.

USA Weekend