Not cleaning teeth properly may put women at greater risk of migraines and body pain, a study shows.

Bacteria in the mouth were linked to pain conditions, researchers discovered, with good oral habits potentially easing the discomfort and improving overall wellbeing.

About one in five women in Britain suffers migraines, a neurological condition that causes recurrent headaches and is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound.

Nearly two in five live with some sort of chronic body pain, which can be due to conditions including arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic pelvic pain and fibromyalgia.

These conditions are more common in women.

While migraines and fibromyalgia can be triggered by physical or emotional stress, illness or hormonal fluctuations, neither condition has a known cause.

Now scientists at Sydney University in Australia have found a potential link between these debilitating conditions and women’s oral health.

About one in five women in Britain suffers migraines, a neurological condition that causes recurrent headaches and is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound. Pictured: File photo

Bacteria in the mouth were linked to pain conditions, researchers discovered, with good oral habits potentially easing the discomfort and improving overall wellbeing. Pictured: File photo

Nearly 170 women in New Zealand with and without chronic pain were asked to give a saliva sample which was analysed for bacteria.

The women also filled out an oral health survey which asked about their brushing and flossing routines, their diet and lifestyle, and any dental issues they had suffered in the past.

This data was then compared with their self-reported body pain, headache and migraine history.

Researchers found a strong association between bad oral health and pain.

Women with the poorest oral health were 60 per cent more likely to suffer moderate to severe body pain, while just under half suffered migraines.

‘This is the first study to investigate oral health, oral microbiota and pain commonly experienced in women with fibromyalgia, with our study showing a clear and significant association between poor oral health and pain,’ said lead investigator Associate Professor Joanna Harnett, from the university’s faculty of medicine and health.

Previous research has linked poor oral health to a range of dangerous conditions, including heart disease, diabetes and dementia.