Maintaining a Healthy Heart: It Starts With a Healthy Smile

Throughout this decade, medical researchers have run numerous studies and attempted to form conclusions about the relationship between unhealthy gums and an increased risk of heart problems. A recently published and very convincing inquiry shows that in men less than sixty years of age, periodontal disease, or periodontitis (pictured right), is clearly associated with a rise in coronary heart disease. While this is not the first study of its kind, it is unique in that it accounts for the differences in weight, income, and overall health of subjects, and still augments the ever increasing data supporting more extensive dental care for a decrease in possible cardio troubles. Although it is not completely common for those who do not tend to their gums and teeth to have heart problems, maintaining a healthy mouth is important for avoiding cardio related ailments because of the susceptibility to sicknesses that periodontal disease can cause, and because of the proven research that depicts people are more likely to get heart problems with an unhealthy mouth.

According to a report by the National Institute of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over one-hundred and sixty million people suffer from high blood pressure, cerebrovascular disease (leading to stroke), cholesterol levels requiring medical attention and coronary heart disease in the United States alone. All of these epidemics in the population affect the pulmonary system as well as cardio health. It is important to recognize the plethora of factors that can lead to heart aliments to illustrate that poor dental health is not the only cause. The public must understand that because poor oral conditions can result in other harms to the body, it is not necessarily the cause. Realize that an older person with coronary heart disease and overall poor bodily health, will be more prone to lose their teeth than an in shape individual of the same age. Therefore, a bias can be seen from the dental community’s standpoint because if patients are more fearful of other health issues due to inadequate dental maintenance, they would almost certainly increase their visits to the dentist. This would be favorable to dental professionals because more patient appointments means more capital. While this is a motivating factor for dentists to support the theory of periodontitis affecting heart wellbeing, the actual science behind the disease confidently supports the idea of more extensive oral care.

In order to understand the effects of periodontal disease, one must first understand what anatomical changes occur. In short summary, the main effect of the disease is the recession of the gum line around the teeth. Essentially bacteria cause an infection that destroys the bone and fibers which secure teeth to the jaw. The result is the separation of gums from around the enamel of the tooth, and the formation of deep dental pockets. In turn, these pockets are then vulnerable to fill with plaque and food particles, creating additional bacterial infections. More gingival tissue is destroyed and teeth become loose. Inflammation occurs due to byproducts of the infection entering the bloodstream and being eradicated by the body’s immune system and gums then turn red and become puffy. A significant problem with this mechanism is that some of the disease fighting agents the body produces, such as C reactive protein (graphic to the left), also inflame arteries that can stiffen and promote blood clots and arteriosclerosis. Studies have shown that the antibodies used to combat the bacteria of periodontitis are only produced for that reason, and typically are not found in the mouth. With all the possibilities for detrimental effects on cardio health from oral problems, it is simple to see why dentists are stressing dental wellbeing.

As much research has shown, maintaining high oral standards is not only beneficial to the mouth, but to the body as a whole. Merely by brushing and flossing the recommended amount of times per day, a person can avoid serious conditions such as stroke, myocardial infarction, and high blood pressure. By preventing the gum line from receding, and preserving adult teeth the risk of dangerous bacteria infiltrating the blood stream via the mouth is severely reduced. As doctor Kenneth Bueltmann (former president of the American Academy of Periodontology) said after reading an early research report about the relatedness of periodontal health to cardiovascular diseases, "This data clearly stresses the importance of regular dental checkups to ensure a healthy, diseased-free mouth." Although more research should be conducted so that the specifics of the relationship can be found, the current steps being taken are necessary and will lead to more breakthroughs on the topic.

If more effort is put into finding the exact correlation between good oral health and good overall health, future medical professionals will have an extraordinary understanding of the interconnections of the body. Current research provides a good deal of evidence to support further research in medical treatments that target multiple parts of the body at once. Not only will these new treatments be more efficient at curing health problems, but they will also teach people about the phenomenal power of their own bodies. The more we learn about ourselves, the better equipped we will be in the fight against deadly diseases and syndromes in the future. Perhaps a time will come when a simple investment in brushing one’s teeth could be the deciding factor in whether or not they will survive a deadly virus.