Study Results: Link Between Heart Disease and Brushing Teeth

If your oral hygiene habits aren't as good as you'd like them to be, you may want to work hard at improving them. According to the American Dental Association, children and adults should brush their teeth a minimum of twice daily, and more often in certain situations, such as after sugary foods are consumed. Various studies have been conducted regarding the connection between heart disease and teeth brushing habits, with one recent study in particular that was published in the British Medical Journal discovering that there is a definite connection between the how often teeth are brush and whether or not cardiovascular disease will develop.

Three British research scientists with the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of London proposed to conduct research in order to determine whether or not self-reported tooth-brushing habits had any effect on two important markers of cardiovascular disease: C reactive protein and fibrinogen, which is related to blood coagulation. The study group consisted of over 11,000 Scottish men and women with a mean age of about 50. These men and women were instructed to record the amount of times they brushed their teeth each day in addition to providing hospital records that were related to both C reactive protein and fibrinogen.

The results of this particular study were astounding: it was discovered that there is in fact a link between failing to brush teeth regularly and a higher probability of developing some type of cardiovascular disease. Study participants who rarely or never brushed their teeth were found to have higher concentrations of C reactive protein and fibrinogen in their blood streams, while those who brushed twice a daily had not only a lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease, but also had lower levels of the two markers of cardiovascular disease in their blood. Many participants did develop cardiovascular disease (especially those who practiced poor dental hygiene) at some time during the study, with over 70% of diagnoses being specifically coronary heart disease. The study participants that developed cardiovascular disease were followed for a number of years, and 170 of cases proved to be fatal.

So, it might be in your best interest to start brushing your teeth twice daily in order to lower your chances of developing heart disease in the future. Of course there is no guarantee that simply brushing your teeth as recommended by the American Dental Association will prevent heart disease, but it can certainly help. Cardiovascular disease is a serious condition that kills millions of Americans and Britains each year. There are certainly other ways of keeping this potentially deadly disease at bay, but if you can help to minimize your chances of developing it in the first place by simply practicing good oral hygiene, you should definitely start brushing if you aren't already. If you have trouble remembering to brush regularly, there are ways to remind yourself, such as with timers, alarms and various other methods. Even though there are other benefits to brushing your teeth regularly, one obvious benefit unrelated to the development of any type of disease is having nice, fresh-smelling breath and an attractive smile.

References

British Medical Journal Article - www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/340/may27_1/c2451
American Dental Association - www.ada.org/sections/publicResources/pdfs/watch_module01_smart.pdf - 2010-04-01