Omega-3 and Aspirin Rival Antibiotics for Severe Gum Disease, Study Finds

A combination of omega-3 fatty acids and low-dose aspirin performed about as well as antibiotics in a yearlong study of people with severe periodontitis, raising the possibility of an alternative treatment for advanced gum disease.

The research was conducted by scientists at Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital, Guarulhos University, the University of Taubaté, and the Ribeirão Preto School of Dentistry at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, along with Harvard University in the United States. The findings were published in the Journal of Periodontology.

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that develops when bacteria accumulate below the gumline and damage the tissues that hold teeth in place. In advanced cases, the disease can destroy supporting bone, loosen teeth, and eventually cause tooth loss. "Patients with severe disease have very deep pockets, which act as reservoirs for bacteria associated with the disease. It's a very challenging condition to treat," said dental surgeon Nídia Cristina Castro dos Santos, the study's first author and a professor and researcher at Einstein.

The clinical study included 109 people with advanced periodontitis, followed for one year. Everyone received scaling, the standard procedure that removes bacterial deposits from below the gums, and were randomly divided into four groups. A control group received placebo versions of the antibiotics, omega-3, and aspirin. A second group received the antibiotics metronidazole and amoxicillin three times a day for 14 days. A third group took three grams of omega-3 daily along with a daily dose of aspirin for six months. A fourth group received both the antibiotics and the six-month omega-3-and-aspirin regimen.

After one year, about 58% of patients treated with antibiotics had reached the study's clinical target of no more than four remaining deep periodontal pockets, compared with 57.7% of the omega-3-and-aspirin group — a nearly identical result. Among patients who received scaling alone, only 23.1% met the same goal. Combining antibiotics with omega-3 and aspirin did not produce any additional benefit over either strategy alone.

"The use of antibiotics isn't considered the gold standard of treatment. Although metronidazole and amoxicillin yield good results in the most severe cases, their use should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis due to risks related to bacterial resistance and possible adverse effects," Castro dos Santos said.

Researchers were also struck by how long the benefits lasted: participants who had taken omega-3 and aspirin continued to show results similar to those seen at the end of treatment even six months after supplementation had stopped.