Study: Brushing Your Teeth Is Good For Your Heart
How could your dental and heart
health ever be connected? Well, according to new research conducted in
England, there is a rather strong connection between the ways you care
for your pearly whites and your chance of suffering a heart attack.
Image: fotographic1980/ freedigitalphotos.net
The study, conducted by the Scottish
Health Survey, examined over 11,000 individuals of all ages to identify a
possible correlation between dental and heart health. Along with
information on their dental bill of health, the subjects were asked to
provide information about their other lifestyle habits, such as smoking,
physical activity, and health routines.
Of the group, about 62 percent said
they visited the dentist every six months, and another 71 percent said
that they brushed their teeth twice a day. This information lead the
researchers to conclude that those that admitted to brushing their teeth
less frequently had an extra 70 percent risk of heart disease or heart
attack.
"Our results confirmed and further
strengthened the suggested association between oral hygiene and the risk
of cardiovascular disease," says Richard Watt DDS from the University
College London. According to the researchers, the results of the study
were not entirely surprising, but rather confirmation of a decade-long
hypothesis on the connection between dental diseases and cardiovascular
health.
In yet another study conducted in the
United States, it was found that as people's gum health improved, so
did the rate at which plaque built up in their arteries. This study
showed that the chances of contracting a dangerous condition called
atherosclerosis, or the narrowing of the arteries around the heart,
decreased when subjects brushed their teeth and had a clean bill of gum
and oral health.
Image: khunaspix/ freedigitalphotos.net
But scientifically, how are gum
disease and heart disease connected? The bacteria that develops in your
mouth when you have gum disease contributes to atherosclerosis in that
it adds to the level of inflammation of the arteries and triggering a
biological reaction that narrows space these important passage ways.
Once you have atherosclerosis, your chances mild to certain that you
will experience a heart attack and possibly even stroke.
So the next time you worry about your
visit to the dentist, or need a reason to floss your teeth, remember
that caring for your oral and gum health properly could dramatically
decrease your chances of heart disease and other serious conditions.
Make brushing and flossing a regular habit, and you are sure to be on
the way to a heart-healthy and happy self!
|
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire
ANY ERROR SHOULD BE INFORMED BY EMAIL