Failing to brush and floss regularly may lead to more problems
than cavities: a new study has found that poor oral health
can be an indicator of heart disease.
The researchers, writing in the journal Circulation, suggested
that dentists consider referring patients with infection,
tooth decay or other problems to a physician who can evaluate
them for heart problems.
"I don't want to alarm people, but at least you could
say, `Well, we should check your cholesterol and blood pressure
and so forth,' " said the lead author, Dr. Sok-Ja Janket,
an assistant professor at the Boston University dental school.
For some time, scientists have been curious about whether
dental problems play a role in heart disease, in part because
the plaque in arteries contains antibodies to bacteria that
come from the mouth. People with serious oral health problems
have also been found to have more signs of inflammation associated
with heart disease.
In the study, the researchers compared the oral health of
256 Finns being treated for heart disorders with that of
250 who had no known heart problems. Infected wisdom teeth
were associated with the biggest heart disease risk, followed
by severely decayed teeth, gum inflammation, cavities and
missing teeth.
The problem may involve factors other than inflammation.
People with bad teeth cannot chew their food well, for example,
and do not absorb nutrients that help prevent heart disease.
But in an editorial with the study, Dr. Gordon D. O. Lowe
of the University of Glasgow cautioned that more research
was needed before dental health could be made a standard
measure of heart disease.
"Meanwhile," he said, "periodontal disease
obviously merits prevention and treatment as a health problem
in itself."
At
the Dentist's: Open Mouth, Check Heart