Study: Good Oral Hygiene Lowers Risk Of Heart Problems
If you needed more reason to take better care of your oral hygiene, a new study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology suggests that practising good oral hygiene may lower the risk of heart disease.
Researchers from Korea found that regular tooth brushing and trips to the dentist decreases the risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AFib) – a condition where a person has an irregular heartbeat that can lead to blood clots and strokes – and heart failure.
In the study that was conducted over a period of 10-years, scientists tracked the health and oral habits of over 150,000 people between the ages of 40 to 60-years-old who had no prior history of cardiovascular problems.
Their research concluded that those who brush their teeth at least three times a day also had a 10% lower chance of developing AFib and a 12% reduced risk to develop heart failure.
The reason behind this was attributed to the bacteria that live in your mouth.
As it turns out, the bacteria in your mouth not only causes bad breath and oral conditions like tooth decay and gum disease, but it could also be linked to a host of cardiovascular diseases, respiratory problems and even cancer.
This is mainly due to the spread of these microorganisms through the bloodstream leading to inflammation throughout the body.
Experts have also stated that those who develop gum disease had a higher chance of developing heart problems.
Therefore it’s argued that maintaining good oral health is a good way of keeping your overall health in check.
Heart disease remains the #1 cause of death in Malaysia for the last 14 years.
The Malaysian Department of Statistics (DOSM) estimates that on average, 50 Malaysians die from cardiovascular problems every single day.
In 2017, some 18,000 people died due to heart problems with a majority of them being men between the ages of 40 to 60-years old.
It’s clear that more research is needed to find a conclusive link between oral hygiene and heart disease, but there is definitely no harm in keeping up with a good dental routine.
So brush, floss and mouthwash your way to a healthy body people!
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