Oral and cardiovascular health link established

There is a connection between periodontal disease, or severe gum inflation, and cardiovascular disease, according to new research.

The work conducted by Dr Moise Desvarieux, from the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia University, has leant weight to the widely held belief in the medical community that a link between oral and cardiovascular health does exist.

And while his work does establish a link, Dr Desvarieux said the relationship is still not completely clear and that good oral hygiene is only one of a number of factors that can be relied upon to reduce the risk of heart disease.

He said: “It appears a relationship exists, but we don’t know exactly what it is and if it is a causal relationship. Therefore, we can’t make recommendations for people with periodontal disease in respect to cardiovascular disease.”

He added that to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, a host of factors must be managed by patients including smoking, weight and diabetes.

In particular, Dr Desvarieux’s work was on periodontal disease in relation to atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.

He stated: “We analysed bacterial samples from the oral cavity, three of which are specifically associated with periodontal disease. We found that those patients with one or any combination of these three bacteria also had atherosclerosis.”

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