New Study Links Oral Health with Coronary Disease

New study conducted by researchers examined the oral brushing habits and heart disease as reported by more than 10,00 people age 35 and over. The information was gathered from a Scottish Health Survey which was conducted once every 3 to 5 years between 1995 and 2003. The study was conducted by the University College London by doing a follow-up with participants to see if any had either had a heart attack or any coronary disease.

The study found that neglecting to brush twice a day could increase a person's risk of coronary disease by 70%.

The researchers also found that men were more likely to brush their teeth less than twice a day, as well as older people, smokers and those that had other health issues such as obesity, hypertension and diabetes. The study made allowances for variables such as those and still derived that lack of proper oral hygiene is associated with coronary disease. Even after adjusting for a person's socioeconomic differences such as dental visits, family medical history of coronary disease, BMI, medical conditions and hypertension the association between oral hygiene and coronary still held.

The research data was published in the British Medical Journal and was made available online on May 27 of this year.

Although previous studies have similarly linked the two problems, in this study researchers have noted that infection may be the mechanism behind the deciding link.

I have been a nurse for a long time and I would hasten to say that if you ask any medical professional they would acknowledge that is is widely known that infection in the mouth can get into the blood stream and cause many problems including myocarditis. Myocarditis is an condition that is caused by viral, fungal or bacterial infection that reaches the heart muscle. Severe bacterial infections can easily develop from virtually any part of the body and travel to the heart including a medical problem associated with a dentoalveolar abscess.

Chronic infections and a person's body's response to infection, which has a lot to do with a person's immune system. Plays a significant role in coronary disease.

I must confess after reading the data gathered from the research study I was astonished, that only now someone is linking oral health with coronary health. I have been in nursing most of my life and on a regular basis I see many patients who have poor dental hygiene all of which have many various other medical conditions including coronary disease. Unfortunately on a personal note, I too have neglected my teeth most of my life and suffer from coronary disease.

After having easily been one of the participants in this study, I can safely say that if you have poor oral hygiene you should see a dentist or oral surgeon as soon as possible to get any oral problems taken care of because they can have a significant impact on your overall health, as well as putting you at an increased risk for coronary disease.

References for this article include:

www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/340/may27_1/c2451
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/10176410.stm
www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7771698/Brush-teeth-twice-a-day-to-prevent-heart-disease.html