'Good teeth lead to healthy heart'
Updated on 13 September 2007
Young people should take care of their teeth to avoid heart problems in later life, a charity has said.
The British Dental Health Foundation issued the warning after new research was published confirming previous studies on the link between gum and heart disease.
The charity cited research published in the medical journal, Heart, which found that young adults who lose their teeth to decay or gum disease are considerably more likely to die from heart disease in later life.
The study followed more than 12,000 UK adults for up to 57 years.
It found that those with a large number of missing teeth in young adulthood - nine or more - were a third more likely to die of heart disease than those who had fewer than five missing teeth.
Dr Nigel Carter, chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, said: "The Foundation has long held the view that a person's oral health has a major effect on the rest of the body and there is mounting evidence to support that view.
"People need to adopt a good oral healthcare routine for the good of their whole body as well as their mouth and that should include twice daily brushing with fluoride toothpaste, cutting down how often they have sugary foods and drinks and visiting the dentist regularly, as often as the dentist recommends.
"Cleaning between the teeth is also important and should be done once-a-day using floss or inter-dental brushes."
To date, experts are unsure of the exact nature of the link between poor oral health and heart disease.
Theories suggest that bacteria in the mouth that causes tooth decay and gum disease may enter the bloodstream and damage the blood vessel lining, or trigger inflammation in the body which leads to heart disease.
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