Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeMedicineCardiologyCan oral care prevent heart disease?

Can oral care prevent heart disease?

Recent research shows a correlation between brushing teeth and heart health.

Heart diseases also known as cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are one of the leading causes of death globally. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 17.9 million people die each year due to heart diseases. Heart diseases are often referred to conditions which cause the narrowing of or dysfunction of the blood vessels involved in supplying blood and oxygen to vital organs in the body.

In a recent study, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, researchers found the link between brushing teeth and heart health, specifically, the two heart conditions known as atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF).

The researchers conducted a cohort study comprising of 161,286 participants from the Korean National Health Insurance System with no history of atrial fibrillation, heart failure or any other heart conditions. Participants aged between 40-79 years underwent a routine medical exam between 2003-2004 and their weight, height, lifestyle questionnaire, laboratory tests, and blood pressure were recorded.

Frequent teeth brushing associated with reduced risk of atrial fibrillation and heart failure

Of these participants, 3% (4911) developed atrial fibrillation and 4.9% developed heart failure over a median follow-up of 10.5 years. The study reported that frequent teeth brushing (three times or more) reduced the risk of atrial fibrillation, by 10%, and heart failure, by 12%.

This research highlights the significance of oral hygiene in the prevention of heart conditions, however, the underlying mechanisms require further study. It is important to note, this study was limited to only one ethnic group, and did not collect data regarding the number of dental visits by participants.

 

Written by Sakina Bano Mendha

 

References:

Cardiovascular diseases. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/health-topics/cardiovascular-diseases/#tab=tab_1.

Chang, Y., Woo, H. G., Park, J., Lee, J. S., & Song, T.-J. (2019). Improved oral hygiene care is associated with decreased risk of occurrence for atrial fibrillation and heart failure: A nationwide population-based cohort study. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 204748731988601. doi: 10.1177/2047487319886018

Escardio. (n.d.). Brush your teeth to protect the heart. Retrieved from https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-12/esoc-byt112619.php.

Image by Bruno Glätsch from Pixabay

RELATED ARTICLES

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest News and Articles

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTERS

Stay Connected
10,288FansLike
820FollowersFollow
249FollowersFollow
2,787FollowersFollow

Article of the month

Don’t Wait to Vaccinate: Cervical Cancer Jabs Most Effective at Age 12

Researchers from across Scotland scoured more than a decade’s worth of health records to assess just how well a nationwide secondary school vaccination campaign...

Joke Of The Day – March 29

- Doctor, by what symptoms can you determine the development of dementia? - Well, I already told you about this yesterday...

RECENT COMMENTS

ADVERTISE WITH US

error: Content is read-only and copy-protected.