Losing Hair? Visit Your Dentist!




dentistry

According to the research published by the University of Granada, some cases of hair loss can be due to a tooth infection! Sudden and unexplained development of localized alopecia areata, with round or oval bald patches on the head, may simply be caused by dental infection outbreaks and therefore treated at a dentist office. Bad teeth can trigger hair loss in both men and women of any age. The condition is pretty common -  doctors believe that one out of 1000 people can be affected by dentally-induced alopecia areata.

Alopecia areata is believed to be an autoimmune disorder of an unknown origin, often triggered by severe stress, infections, metabolic imbalances, malnutrition, certain immune reactions, or hormonal causes. This unpleasant condition is considered to be a type of dermatitis that damages hair follicles of the scalp and sometimes other areas of the body, including eyelashes, bears, and eyebrows. Hair becomes fragile, brittle, and eventually falls out. Alopecia areata is characterized by the development of distinct bald patches on the scalp and body. In severe cases, it can lead to complete baldness. The development of this disease is often unpredictable - it can resolve spontaneously within a couple of months, but again recur unexpectedly in several years.

Scientists of the University of Granada have become the first who researched the connection and linked alopecia areata to dental infections. Although the exact interrelation between hair loss and dental disease remains unknown, the researchers think that bacterial infections can trigger an autoimmune reaction that makes the immune system erroneously attack healthy cells of its own body - in the case of alopecia areata, scalp hair follicles appear to be under the attack.

The researchers also found out that bald patches in patients with alopecia areata were often localized along the lines projected by the infected teeth. This finding indirectly confirms the teachings of the Chinese traditional medicine that state that body ailments are rooted along the passways of damaged “energy meridians” - the invisible channels of life-force energy that feeds and sustains the physical body.

Dr. Montoya and Dr. Soriano of UGR’s Department of Stomatology recommend that every person with unexplained hair loss, who suddenly develops balding patches on his scalp, should visit the dentist’s office for a careful oral examination and necessary treatment. In many cases, after dental infection has been eliminated, the patient experiences complete regrowth of her hair within a period of three to six months.

Robin Makris

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Posted on February 14, 2008 
Filed Under Hair Loss Reasons

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