Dental Health and Heart Disease | Oral Healthcare and Nutrition Tips

Dental Hygiene and Heart Health:

A recent study published in Vitality Magazine, emphasizes the importance of brushing your teeth at least twice a day. As per research reports, periodontal disease (disease of the gums) caused as a result of poor oral hygiene doesn’t only affect the oral cavity but has implications on your heart as well.

For long, dental studies have related conditions like tooth loss, bleeding gums, etc with poor dental hygiene. However, now there is adequate evidence to suggest that people with gum disease are at double the risk of developing cardiac disease and stroke in comparison to those with healthy gums. This study was conducted by the American Academy of Periodontology. There is ambiguity over the exact reason of the association. There are several possibilities that have been identified. One such possibility is that the bacteria from the infected gums may enter blood and attach themselves to the fatty plaques in the blood vessels. This subsequently results in obstruction of the blood vessel causing either cardiac attack or stroke.
The other argument is that atherosclerosis (i.e. thickening of the arteries) is caused due to inflammation of the arterial walls. Plaques on the arteries as a part of the inflammatory process in the arteries. Gum diseases also have a strong component of inflammation. As per Sam Low of College of Dentistry at Florida University, this could also be the factor to which the association can be attributed.  People with moderate to severe gum disease; have raised levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), which can trigger inflammatory processes elsewhere in the body. Hence, CRP levels are used to assess a person’s risk to heart attacks.
As per Researchers at the Medical Center of Carolinas, Charlotte bacteria from the gums enter the blood stream even through routine day to day activities like tooth brush or chewing food. However, a healthy oral cavity has fewer bacteria, which result in mild and short term bacteraemia, which pose no risk to overall health of the arteries. But a bad oral cavity, with high number of bacteria, may transmit these bacteria into the blood stream, thereby increasing the risk of developing disease of the arteries.

Dental Flossing Benefits:

• Brushing your teeth, without flossing, cleans only 65% of the germs leaving 35% of the germs active in the oral cavity.
• The tiny food particles that get trapped between the teeth can be removed only by flossing.
• Flossing also checks the formation of tartar on your teeth, which if formed can be removed only by a dentist’s intervention.
• A vital revelation of a study that was performed is that flossing decreases the chances of getting a gum disease which in turn decreases the occurrence of cardiac disorders.

Diet for Oral Hygiene:

• The key dietary recommendation to prevent periodontal disease is to avoid sugar. Sugar increases plaque accumulation while reduces WBC formation.
• Foods like nuts, seeds are high in zinc. They help in taking care of your teeth.
• Vitamin C rich foods like citrus fruits provide important nutritional supplements to your teeth and gums. Periodontal health is closely linked to the Vitamin C intake.

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