Two of the most common oral problems are inflamed gums, known as gingivitis, and infected gums, or periodontitis, which causes bone loss and may signal heart problems. Because omega-3s protect against heart disease, doctors wanted to test for a link to periodontitis.

In the study, 60 otherwise healthy volunteers with moderate to severe chronic periodontitis took 300 mg of omega-3s per day, or a placebo. Both groups had dental scaling and root planing treatments.

After 12 weeks, compared to placebo, the omega-3 group had better gingivitis scores, less gum bleeding, and pocket depths between the teeth had shrunk by half.

Reference: J Periodontal Implant Sci. 2014 Feb;44(1):25-32.