Brushing Your Teeth Is Good For Your Heart
How could your dental and heart health ever
be connected? Well, according to new research conducted in England,
there is a rather strong connection between the ways you care for your
pearly whites and your chance of suffering a heart attack.
The study, conducted by the Scottish Health
Survey, examined over 11,000 individuals of all ages to identify a
possible correlation between dental and heart health. Along with
information on their dental bill of health, the subjects were asked to
provide information about their other lifestyle habits, such as smoking,
physical activity, and health routines.
Of the group, about 62 percent said they visited the dentist every six
months, and another 71 percent said that they brushed their teeth twice a
day. This information lead the researchers to conclude that those that
admitted to brushing their teeth less frequently had an extra 70 percent
risk of heart disease or heart attack.
"Our results confirmed and further
strengthened the suggested association between oral hygiene and the risk
of cardiovascular disease," says Richard Watt DDS from the University
College London. According to the researchers, the results of the study
were not entirely surprising, but rather confirmation of a decade-long
hypothesis on the connection between dental diseases and cardiovascular
health.
In yet another study conducted in the United States, it was found that
as people's gum health decreased, so did the rate at which plaque built
up in their arteries. This study showed that the chances of contracting a
dangerous condition called atherosclerosis, or the narrowing of the
arteries around the heart, decreased when subjects brushed their teeth
and had a clean bill of gum and oral health.
But scientifically, how are gum disease and
heart disease connected? The bacteria that develops in your mouth when
you have gum disease contributes to atherosclerosis in that it adds to
the level of inflammation of the arteries and triggering a biological
reaction that narrows space these important passage ways. Once you have
atherosclerosis, your chances mild to certain that you will experience a
heart attack and possibly even stroke.
So the next time you worry about your visit to the dentist, or need a
reason to floss your teeth, remember that caring for your oral and gum
health properly could dramatically decrease your chances of heart
disease and other serious conditions. Make brushing and flossing a
regular habit, and you are sure to be on the way to a heart-healthy and
happy self!