Will Tooth Brushing Protect Your Heart?

Research has linked gum disease and cardiovascular disease. Will treating one help prevent or reverse the other?

Ads for Colgate Total say that maintaining healthy teeth and gums may be important for overall health. They strongly imply that antibacterial toothpaste can help prevent “heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.” Some studies do suggest there’s a link between periodontal (gum) disease and cardiovascular disease. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that gum disease causes heart disease and strokes. Periodontal disease may merely indicate that you are at increased risk.

The theory is that periodontal disease, a bacterial infection of the gums, can trigger inflammation elsewhere in the body, and chronic inflammation is now thought to contribute to atherosclerosis—that is, plaque formation in the arteries that leads to coronary artery disease and stroke. A simpler explanation may be that people who take good care of their teeth and gums tend to have a better diet and better health habits, which in turn may help prevent heart attacks and strokes.

Research is underway to see if treating periodontal disease can ward off cardiovascular disease, and vice versa. A 2007 English study found that intensive treatment of serious periodontal disease can reduce inflammation in the body, as well as improve functioning of blood vessels. This potential benefit is one more reason to take good care of your teeth and gums—with or without antibacterial toothpaste.

And conversely, if you have high cholesterol and periodontal disease, it's possible that lowering your cholesterol may help reduce the gum disease. Thus a Finnish study in 2008 found that people with periodontal disease who were on cholesterol-lowering statin drugs had less severe gum disease than those not taking them.

If you have moderate to severe periodontal disease, you should be more aggressively screened or treated for cardiovascular disease, according to a 2009 consensus paper from the editors of two major journals. This is especially true if you have any cardiovascular risk factors, such as smoking or high cholesterol.

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