Another Study Links Good Oral Hygiene to Reduced Heart Attack Risk
Reuters reports that a new study has found people with the germiest mouths have higher risks of a heart attack. There have been several studies showing a link between germs in the mouth and heart disease. Scientists don't know exactly why these germs are associated with an increased risk of heart disease.
Their tests on 386 men and women who had suffered heart attacks and 840 people free of heart trouble showed two types - Tannerella forsynthesis and Prevotella intermedia - were more common among the heart attack patients.
But more striking, the people who had the most bacteria of all types in their mouths were the most likely to have had heart attacks, they told a meeting of the International Association of Dental Research in Miami.
"The message here is that even though some specific periodontal pathogens have been found to be associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease, the total bacterial pathogenic burden is more important than the type of bacteria," Andriankaja, now at the University of Puerto Rico, said in a statement.
"In other words, the total number of 'bugs' is more important than one single organism."
Brushing and flosing your teeth regularly should help keep the "total number of bugs" in your mouth at a lower level and hopefully reduce your risk of heart disease.
Photo: Cavity Creeps from the 1970s Colgate commercial
Reuters 
