Fasting diet may mitigate periodontal disease

Dental Tribune International

Tue. 1. April 2025

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LONDON, England: Periodontal treatment is known to trigger a short-term systemic inflammatory response, and the systemic effects of this have prompted interest in strategies to mitigate this inflammation. Fasting has shown promise in lowering inflammation, but adherence is difficult. In a feasibility study, researchers from King’s College London and Akdeniz University in Turkey have assessed the safety and potential benefits of combining non-surgical periodontal therapy with a dietary option with higher likely compliance for treating patients with severe periodontitis.

Unlike traditional fasting, which requires complete abstinence from food, a fasting-mimicking diet (FMD) is a carefully designed low-calorie diet that provides essential nutrients while inducing a fasting-like state in the body and is followed for several days each month. Scientific evidence suggests that this approach triggers cellular and metabolic responses similar to those of prolonged fasting, including reduced inflammation and enhanced tissue repair, but with greater patient adherence and reduced discomfort compared with complete fasting.

In the study, nineteen patients with severe periodontitis were randomised to receive standard periodontal treatment either alone or with a five-day course of an FMD. The study found that the FMD was safe and well tolerated and that it had only mild and temporary side effects, such as nausea, dizziness, weakness and fatigue.

While no statistically significant differences in systemic inflammatory markers were observed, three months after treatment, there was a trend towards a greater reduction in serum C-reactive protein in the FMD group compared with the controls. Additionally, a trend towards lower levels of key inflammatory biomarkers in the crevicular fluid was observed one day after treatment in FMD patients.

The study’s senior and lead authors, respectively, Prof. Luigi Nibali and Dr Giuseppe Mainas from the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences at King’s, explained in a university press release: “By potentially modulating the inflammatory response, this fasting-mimicking approach may lead to decreased systemic and local inflammation.”

“The observed results suggest that FMD may effectively have systemic anti-inflammatory effects in the oral cavity. This research introduces a novel, non-invasive dietary approach to complement periodontal therapy, paving the way for future studies to further explore its clinical impact,” they continued.

The study, titled “The application of a fasting-mimicking diet in periodontitis. A feasibility study”, was published in the May 2025 issue of the Journal of Dentistry.