Study Concludes Regular Dentistry And Good Hygiene May Help Prevent Cardiovascular Disease
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- Published: Tuesday, 31 August 2021 07:30
- Written by Chris Tapper
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Regular dental examinations and oral hygiene education may help to prevent first and subsequent heart attacks, a recent study has concluded.
The European Society of Cardiology heard at its recent Congress that “Gum disease is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease: the more severe the periodontitis, the higher the risk.”
The association is said to be particularly evident among patients who had experienced a heart attack in the past.
The latest study was a long-term follow-up of the Swedish PAROKRANK study, which showed that periodontitis was significantly more common in first time heart attack patients, compared to their healthy peers of the same age and sex, living in the same area.
The follow-up of participants in the original PAROKRANK study, investigated whether the presence of gum disease in heart attack patients and their healthy peers, was related to an increased risk of new cardiovascular events, over time.
The European Society of Cardiology said “That study included 1,587 participants with an average age of 62 years. Participants underwent a dental examination between 2010 and 2014: 985 were classified as healthy, 489 had moderate periodontitis, and 113 had severe periodontitis.”
“Participants were followed up for the occurrence of cardiovascular events and death. The primary endpoint was a composite of all-cause death, non-fatal heart attack or stroke, or severe heart failure. Follow-up data were collected until the end of 2018 from Swedish national death and patient registries.”
The latest study, which covered an average follow up of 6.2 years, there were 205 primary endpoint events.
“In the overall cohort, participants with periodontitis at baseline had 49% higher odds of the primary endpoint compared to those with healthy gums. The probability of the primary endpoint rose with increasing severity of gum disease.”
“When heart attack patients and healthy controls were assessed separately, the graded relationship between gum disease severity and the primary endpoint was significant only for patients.”
Dr. Giulia Ferrannini of the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden is the author of the latest study. Dr Ferrannini said: “Our study suggests that dental screening programmes including regular check-ups and education on proper dental hygiene may help to prevent first and subsequent heart events.”
“The risk of experiencing a cardiovascular event during follow-up was higher in participants with periodontitis, increasing in parallel with the severity. This was particularly apparent in patients who had already experienced a myocardial infarction,” she said.
Dr Farrannini added “We postulate that the damage of periodontal tissues in people with gum disease may facilitate the transfer of germs into the bloodstream. This could accelerate harmful changes to the blood vessels and/or enhance systemic inflammation that is harmful to the vessels.”
The researcher concluded “It is important to underline that the quality of care in Sweden is high, as confirmed by the overall low number of total events during follow-up. Despite this, gum disease was linked with an elevated likelihood of cardiovascular disease or death.”
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