Bad teeth, bleeding gums and poor dental hygiene can lead to heart disease

Sep 11 2008

Scientists are warning that bad teeth, bleeding gums and poor dental hygiene can lead to heart disease.

According to microbiologists from the University of Bristol and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, people with poor dental hygiene and those who don't brush their teeth regularly end up with bleeding gums.

They say this provides an entry to the bloodstream for up to 700 different types of bacteria found in our mouths and increases the risk of a heart attack.

Dr. Steve Kerrigan from the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, says the mouth is probably the dirtiest place in the human body and an open blood vessel from bleeding gums, offers bacteria entry to the bloodstream.

Dr. Kerrigan says when bacteria get into the bloodstream they encounter tiny fragments called platelets that clot blood when tissue is cut and by sticking to the platelets, bacteria cause them to clot inside the blood vessel, partially blocking it - this prevents the blood flow back to the heart and increases the risk of a heart attack.

The scientists say the only treatment for this type of disease is aggressive antibiotic therapy, but with the increasing problem of multiple drug resistant bacteria, this option is becoming short lived.

Professor Howard Jenkinson from the University of Bristol, says cardiovascular disease is currently the biggest killer in the western world and oral bacteria such as Streptococcus gordonii and Streptococcus sanguinis are common infecting agents.

Professor Jenkinson says it is now recognised that bacterial infections are an independent risk factor for heart diseases and regardless of how fit, slim or healthy a person is, having bad teeth increases the chance of heart disease.