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Oral Health, Your Hear, and the Rest of You |
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Researchers have recently explored the relationship between specific oral health conditions and heart disease. Here’s some information about this: Infective endocarditis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the interior lining of the heart and the heart values, generally caused by bacterial infection. Heart valves that have been damaged or are abnormal are at highest risk for infective endocarditis, but infection can also occur in normal valves when a large number of bacteria are present. Researchers believe that when an individual is diagnosed with periodontal disease, a normal task such as chewing or brushing can injure gum tissue, allowing bacteria to enter the bloodstream. The accumulation of these bacteria on heart valves can lead to a serious and potentially fatal infection unless treated. Coronary artery disease is another type of cardiovascular disease in which the walls of the coronary arteries (heart blood vessels) gradually thicken due to the build-up of fatty proteins. Often blood clots form in these narrowed coronary arteries and normal blood flow activity is obstructed, depleting the heart of the nutrients and oxygen needed to function properly. Scientists now believe that bacteria found in oral cavity enter the bloodstream, attach to fatty plaques and may contribute to clot formation. Researchers have found that people suffering from periodontal disease are twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery disease than those without periodontal disease. Current data leads scientists to believe that periodontal disease is an important risk factor for heart disease, working in concert with other risk factors such as age, smoking, diabetes, hypertension and elevated blood cholesterol. Additionally, in a recent study that looked at oral infection as a risk factor for stroke, people diagnosed with cerebrovascular ischemia (reduced blood flow to the brain) were found more likely to have a oral infection when compared to those in a control group. The American Heart Association estimates approximately 58 million Americans, 1 in 5, suffer from cardiovascular disease, making it the number one cause of death in the U.S. And today, links are being confirmed between gum disease and other diseases, including diabetes and pancreatic cancer. It's getting scarier, and more and more important to maintain good oral health. |
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