Doctors told how brushing your teeth affects heart health
'07.12.2019'
Source: Chapter97
Researchers made an unusual discovery.
A study of over 100 thousand people showed that regular brushing is associated with a lower risk of developing atrial fibrillation and heart failure, writes Chapter97.
Previous studies have found that poor oral hygiene leads to bacteria in the blood causing inflammation in the body. Inflammation increases the risk of developing atrial fibrillation (a life-threatening condition) and heart failure, in which the ability of the heart to contract and relax is impaired. A new study examined the relationship between oral hygiene and the occurrence of these two conditions.
A retrospective cohort study included 161 286 participants in the Korean National Health Insurance System, aged 40 to 79, who had not previously been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation or heart failure.
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In the period from 2003 to 2004, they regularly underwent a medical examination. Information was collected on height, weight, disease, lifestyle, oral hygiene and regular brushing. Over the course of 10 and a half years, 4911 (3,0%) participants developed atrial fibrillation, while 7971 (4,9%) developed heart failure.
Toothbrushing three or more times a day lowered the risk of developing atrial fibrillation by 10 percent, and the development of heart failure by 12 percent. The findings were independent of a number of factors, including age, gender, socioeconomic status, regular exercise, alcohol consumption, body mass index, and concomitant diseases such as arterial hypertension.
Although the study did not study the mechanisms of such a correlation, this did not prevent scientists from constructing theories. One of them is that frequent brushing reduces the number of bacteria in the subgingival biofilm, thereby preventing their movement into the bloodstream.
