A patient's oral health and diet can have a significant effect on the development and severity of psoriasis, according to research published recently in Dermatology Online Journal.
A team of researchers at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus surveyed 256 patients, 100 with psoriasis and 165 without, at the university's dermatology clinics. Patients with psoriasis who rated their gum health as poor or very poor exhibited significantly more severe psoriasis symptoms than those with healthy gums, they found (Dermatol Online J, July 2019, Vol. 25:7, p. 16).
In addition, patients who reported consuming fresh fruit at least once a day experienced milder psoriasis symptoms.
Although the study results were very preliminary, having dermatologists screen for dental health and counsel psoriasis patients for improved dietary health may help them, noted lead researcher Benjamin Kaffenberger, MD, a dermatologist at the Wexner Medical Center, in a university news release.
