Scaling of teeth done regularly by a dentist offers patients not only a brilliant smile, but a reduced risk of stroke and heart attacks, according to a study presented Sunday in the United States. According to this study, conducted by doctors in Taiwan on a sample of over 100,000 people, teeth scaling decreases the risk of heart and brain attacks by 24% and 13%, respectively, compared with people who never have this dental hygiene procedure.
Participants to the study were monitored for an average of seven years, said the authors, who presented the findings at the annual conference organized by the American Heart Association, during the weekend in the city of Orlando, Florida. Doctors consider that a scaling of the teeth is “frequent” when it is practiced at least twice within two years. This study involved over 51,000 adults who have had at least once a partial or complete dental scaling compared to the target group, similar in terms of distribution between women and men, composed of people who have never appealed to this procedure. None of the participants in this study was the victim of a heart attack or stroke at the beginning of the study.
“Protection against cardiovascular disease and stroke is stronger when participants had a dental scaling at least once a year”, said Dr. Emily Chen, a cardiologist at the Hospital for war veterans in Taipei, one of the main authors of the study . Before this study, poor dental hygiene has been associated with cardiovascular risk by experts. Cleaning and regular teeth scaling appeared to reduce the development of bacteria in the mouth responsible for the appearance of inflammation that can contribute to cardiovascular disease.
Another Swedish study conducted on nearly 8,000 patients, presented also in Orlando on Sunday revealed that gum disease is a good indicator of cardiovascular risk and the risk of stroke. According to this study, people who have fewer than 21 teeth from the total (considered normal) of 32 teeth, have a 69% increase in risk of stroke. Participants that had the highest number of periodontal pockets – an infection of the gums around the tooth – had a higher risk of cardiovascular disease by 53% comparing to people who had the lowest number of periodontal pockets. Participants that had the least number of teeth presented a risk of heart failure 2.5 times higher. However, patients who had frequently gingival bleeding had a risk of stroke 2.1 times higher. The study was conducted by the dental surgeon Anders Holmlund.