Why brushing your teeth regularly can prevent a stroke

Brushing your teeth and gums regularly could reverse early signs of heart disease. In fact, researchers suggest that good dental care can achieve results comparable to those from drugs by reducing dangerous fatty deposits on blood vessel walls.



The key to all this is the role oral bacteria play in heart disease.



Scientists have long suspected that periodontitis, also known as gum or gingival disease, is linked to early signs of heart disease, specifically atherosclerosis - the buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries.



Heart disease could be prevented through regular brushing of your teeth

But the new study has now identified a specific bacteria - porphyromonas gingivalis - as one of the main culprits in both gum and heart disease.



'It's thought that bacteria in the mouth trigger an immune response, increasing production of T. lymphycytes, which are part of the body's defence system,' says Dr Mario Clerici, the study leader and an immunologist at the University of Milan in Italy.



The problem is that proteins found on the surface of all blood vessels resemble those proteins on these gingivalis bacteria.



And once the immune system is provoked into attacking the gingivalis bacteria, it moves on to the proteins in the blood vessels.



'The result is the start of the process that leads to the build-up of fatty substances,' explains Dr Clerici.



The study involved 35 otherwise healthy men and women, aged between 38 and 57, with no signs of heart disease, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, but who were affected by mild to moderate gum disease (symptoms include bleeding, tender gums and bad breath).



The volunteers underwent simple, routine dental treatments - the removal of tartar and cleaning out of 'debris' from the area between the teeth and gums (there was no surgery and no antibiotics).



During the treatment, researchers measured bacterial levels in the mouth and levels of C-Reactive Protein, a chemical found in the blood and linked to cardiovascular disease.



They also measured the thickness of the carotid artery wall. The carotid is the main artery supplying blood to the brain and is located in the neck. Doctors often use it as a barometer of the condition of arteries within the heart.



Measurements were taken at the start of the study and at a six-month and one-year check-up.



One year after treatment, the volunteers had a significant reduction in oral bacteria and levels of C-Reactive Protein. Most significantly, the thickness of their carotid arteries had been reduced.



'There was around a 20 per cent reduction in the thickness of the artery wall,' says Dr Clerici. 'If the same process is happening in the heart, it represents the difference between early atherosclerosis and a healthy arterial wall.'



Researchers are now repeating the study with 200 people, spanning a wider spectrum of periodontal disease, from mild to quite severe.



Peter Weissberg, medical director of the British Heart Foundation, was not so convinced by the data.



'This is a purely observational study,' he said.



'To really show that dental care is having an effect, you'd need to perform a double-blind placebo control trial where neither the patients nor investigators knew who'd received active treatment and who hadn't.'



He added that the thickness of the carotid artery did not necessarily reflect the furring up of the heart.



'But regardless of the effect on your heart, you should still be maintaining good dental care since it has many other beneficial effects on health,' he said.



Gum disease is also linked to premature or low-weight babies, diabetes and even infertility problems.

