Milk Mustaches Promote Healthy Gums.

• Position: Calcium helps prevent peridontal diseases - Brief Article

Adults who consume at least three servings of calcium each day have another reason to smile. Researchers have found that people who get enough calcium have significantly lower rates of periodontal disease, a leading cause of tooth loss.

They analyzed government data on calcium consumption and periodontal disease indicators in nearly 13,000 people representing U.S. adults. Men and women who had calcium intakes of fewer than 500 milligrams, or about half the recommended dietary allowance, were almost twice as likely to have periodontal disease, as measured by the loss of attachment of the gums from the teeth. The association was particularly evident for people in their 20s and 30s.

Robert Genco, chair of the Oral Biology Department at The State University of New York at Buffalo, says the relationship between calcium and periodontal disease is likely due to calcium's role in building density in the alveolar bone that supports the teeth. "Periodontal disease is an infection caused by bacteria that accumulate in pockets between the teeth and gums. Eventually, the infection can break down and destroy the tissues and bone that support the teeth. But, if the jaw bone is kept strong with enough calcium, it may be better able to withstand the bacterial onslaught," he says.

"A relationship between calcium intake and periodontal disease makes sense in light of other new research...