The association between gum diseases and heart disease is not a secret anymore. It has always raised a question in my mind if maintaining good oral health can help me achieve good overall health. Well, the answer is “yes.” So if this is something that you are currently worried about, visiting a Central Point dentist (if you live in this area of Oregon) might help put your mind at ease, especially when it comes to finding the best ways to prevent gum disease.
Maintaining good oral health can save us from spending thousands of dollars on preventing heart diseases. We can say that proper brushing and flossing can help us maintain a healthy heart. According to the American Academy of Periodontolgy, people with gum diseases are twice as likely to develop coronary artery disease, one of the leading causes of heart attacks which is precisely why people in this situation should seek gum disease treatment.
Atherosclerosis also known as “hardening of arterial wall” is one of the major etiological factors of heart disease. This occurs due to deposition of plaque (formed by the accumulation of fat and other blood substances on the arterial wall). This can eventually clog the artery leading to complete blockage of coronary arteries precipitating into stroke.
Orbero University of Sweden has clarified one interrelationship between periodontal diseases and heart disease. This study argues that porphyromonas gingivalis, an established culprit in gum disease, also alters the expression of genes that code for a protein that enhances inflammation in the coronary artery. The coronary artery is the vessel that supplies blood to the heart, and its blockage by atherosclerotic plaque can lead to severe cardiovascular complications.
The study lead by Torbjorn Bengtsson, included culturing of human aortic smooth muscle cells and infecting them with p. gingivalis. Consequently, injected p. gingivalis secrete enzymes called gingipains that alter the ratio between two angipains such that they increase the inflammation-significantly increasing the risk of atherosclerosis. Specifically, it increased the expression of inflammatory protein angiopoeitin 2 (Angpt2) and decreased the expression of anti- inflammatory protein angiopoietin 1(Angpt1).
Dentists and dental students can inform patients of the connection between good oral health and a healthy heart. This instruction is even more important with patients who are at risk of developing heart diseases. We should treat the periodontal disease of the patient promptly so we can eradicate the periodontal risk factor of heart diseases. A little prevention goes a long way. Now it seems that while using our toothbrush and floss we might also be preventing serious heart problems down the road.
~Dr. Swati Yadav, predental
