Brush Your Teeth Regularly, and Live Longer!

I’ve posted quite often about the risks associated with gingivitis, but a recent article in the British Medical Journal makes the point that preventing gingivitis in the first place is helping you to prevent heart disease. 

Almost 12,000 Scots were enrolled in the Scottish Health Survey; their average age was 50.  They completed questionnaires about their lifestyle, such as physical exercise, smoking, and their oral health routines.  They were asked how often they brushed their teeth (twice, once, or fewer times a day) and how often they went to the dentist (every 6 months, every 2 years, rarely, or never).  Information was gathered on medical and family history of heart disease and high blood pressure.  Blood was taken for C-reactive protein (CRP) level as an indicator of inflammatory processes in the body.  The participants were then followed for an average of 8 years.

There were 555 cardiovascular disease events during this period, of which 170 (30%) were fatal;  most of them (74%) were coronary heart disease.  Oral hygien was generally good – 62% visited the dentist every 6 months, and 71% said they brushed twice a day.  Those who never, or rarely, brushed their teeth had an increased risk of a cardiovascular disease event; in fact, after adjustment for possibly confounding factors such as family history, they were 70% more likely than those who brushed twice daily.

CRP blood levels showed that poor oral hygiene was linked to this increased level of inflammatory processes.  The authors of the study say their findings suggest "a possible role of poor oral hygiene in the risk of cardiovascular disease via systemic inflammation."  In other words, brush, floss, and rinse regularly, see your dentist every 6 months, and you’re less likely to develop a potentially lethal heart condition.