People won’t mind being close to you…
Brush and Floss
Mouth cleanliness. Is there really a connection to heart disease?
I’ve never heard this before. Prove it to me!
Okay, so I’m taking some liberty with this topic but I told you I’d alert you to when there’s NOT a very solid “cause and effect.” Is there a connection between inflammation of the mouth (periodontal disease) and heart disease? In 2012, the American Heart Association said “Observational studies to date support an association between periodontal disease and atherosclerotic coronary vascular disease…They DO NOT (emphasis mine) support a causative relationship).”
Okay, so what is Periodontitis?
Periodontitis is inflammation and destruction of the stuff in your mouth that isn’t the teeth. Periodontitis is caused by bacteria. Almost 50% of the country is affected by periodontitis. If you include gingivitis, the total comes to about 85% (Chances are you may have it).
Okay so now that you’ve told me I have bad teeth, how else are you going to insult me? Are you going to tell me I’ve got more bacteria in my clogged arteries?
Getting this type of infection, and the precursor form gingivitis, can lead to these bad mouth germs getting into your blood stream when you brush your teeth. Here’s what’s scary: these same mouth germs have been found in the blockages of blood vessels in the heart. In fact, one study showed that there were 84 types of bacteria in the coronary plaque of people with periodontal disease. Only 18 different types of bacteria were found in plaque in those without periodontal disease.
So if I don’t brush my teeth I get bacteria in my clogged arteries and if I DO brush my teeth I still have bacteria in my clogged arteries? I can’t win!
You may be right. In the end, bacteria cause inflammation and blockages can be caused by inflammation. Finding more bacteria in plaques in those with periodontitis means more inflammation and the higher the likelihood of developing a problem.
Fine, I’ll just take an antibiotic. It will save me 10 minutes a day I don’t have to brush my teeth.
Unfortunately, when bacteria set up shop somewhere, they often make a “bomb shelter” in which antibiotics can’t get to them. Since we don’t have the bunker busters to get at them in those plaques, the few studies that have evaluated the affects of antibiotics on heart attacks have not shown any benefit.
Okay, so I won’t brush my teeth and the bacteria won’t get into my bloodstream in the first place.
If you live anywhere there are people or enjoy having a pain free mouth, this is probably not a recommendation for you. Look, let’s move on. Ultimately, to get any “cause and effect” answers we have to turn to our fuzzy eared friends who show up to our house every Easter.
What about humans?
Okay so maybe there’s a connection in rabbits, but what about humans?
There is some evidence that periodontitis leads to heart disease. Almost 40,000 women free of heart disease were followed for 15 years. They were surveyed to find out if they had periodontitis. There was a higher incidence of heart disease and strokes in women who had periodontitis. In 2013, a review of 12 studies looking at links between heart attacks and strokes showed an association between periodontitis and heart disease, especially in those <65 years old.
Sounds pretty convincing. So what’s the problem?
The problem is that there is no good study that shows that treating periodontitis will reduce heart attacks.
You mean I’ve wasted 5 minutes of my life reading this and there’s no study saying we can stop this from causing heart attacks?
Point taken. There is one good study in humans that looked at a blood marker of inflammation called C-reactive protein. This study showed that treating periodontitis reduced levels of this inflammatory marker. In theory, we know that other inflammatory conditions like Rheumatoid arthritis cause early heart disease. Reducing inflammation is an important way to prevent heart disease. As a side note, cholesterol medications called statins, not only lower cholesterol they also reduce inflammation in the body. Statins have also been shown to lower inflammation in people with periodontitis.
Okay. Give it to me straight.
So all in all, there is probably a connection between the mouth and heart disease especially if you’re a rabbit. In humans, we need more scientific research. If you’re not a rabbit, I’d still brush, floss and visit your dentist regularly.
In Summary
Visit your dentist regularly. Brush and floss your teeth at least morning and night.