Brushing your teeth could benefit your heart

Regular brushing of teeth not only helps to avoid tooth decay and periodontitis. The extent to which oral hygiene can affect health is still often underestimated. A South Korean study now shows a possible further connection. The results, which have been published in the journal "European Journal of Preventive Cardiology", show that people who brush their teeth at least three times a day have a lower risk of cardiac arrhythmia and heart failure.

Hardly any other place in the human body contains more bacteria than in the oral cavity. If tooth cleaning is neglected, it will no longer be kept in check. As a result, inflammation can occur, which initially affects teeth and gums and then migrates into the body via nerve tracts and blood vessels.

Reducing bacteria in the mouth avoids diseases
The connection between dental hygiene and a number of diseases has long been known - for example in pneumonia and heart inflammation, erectile dysfunction, heart attacks and strokes. The study by the South Korean Ewha Women's University has shown another possible connection.

The team led by Tae-Jin Song used the database of the National Health Insurance System for the analysis and selected 161,286 participants between the ages of 40 and 79 whose medical history did not include any heart diseases. During an investigation, their data on height, weight, laboratory values, diseases, lifestyle, oral health and oral hygiene behavior were recorded. The investigation was repeated an average of a decade later. At the time, 4911 of the participants (three percent) had developed atrial fibrillation - a cardiac arrhythmia - and 7971 (4.9 percent) had heart failure.

It was striking that those who brushed their teeth three or more times a day had a ten percent lower risk of atrial fibrillation and a twelve percent lower risk of heart failure than those with poorer oral hygiene. Recurring professional tooth cleaning also had a positive effect. These results were independent of factors such as age, gender, socioeconomic status, regular exercise, alcohol consumption, body mass index and other factors such as high blood pressure.

Regular brushing of teeth not only helps to avoid tooth decay and periodontitis. The extent to which oral hygiene can affect health is still often underestimated. A South Korean study now shows a possible further connection. The results, which have been published in the journal "European Journal of Preventive Cardiology", show that people who brush their teeth at least three times a day have a lower risk of cardiac arrhythmia and heart failure.

Hardly any other place in the human body contains more bacteria than in the oral cavity. If tooth cleaning is neglected, it will no longer be kept in check. As a result, inflammation can occur, which initially affects teeth and gums and then migrates into the body via nerve tracts and blood vessels.

Reducing bacteria in the mouth avoids diseases
The connection between dental hygiene and a number of diseases has long been known - for example in pneumonia and heart inflammation, erectile dysfunction, heart attacks and strokes. The study by the South Korean Ewha Women's University has shown another possible connection.

The team led by Tae-Jin Song used the database of the National Health Insurance System for the analysis and selected 161,286 participants between the ages of 40 and 79 whose medical history did not include any heart diseases. During an investigation, their data on height, weight, laboratory values, diseases, lifestyle, oral health and oral hygiene behavior were recorded. The investigation was repeated an average of a decade later. At the time, 4911 of the participants (three percent) had developed atrial fibrillation - a cardiac arrhythmia - and 7971 (4.9 percent) had heart failure.

It was striking that those who brushed their teeth three or more times a day had a ten percent lower risk of atrial fibrillation and a twelve percent lower risk of heart failure than those with poorer oral hygiene. Recurring professional tooth cleaning also had a positive effect. These results were independent of factors such as age, gender, socioeconomic status, regular exercise, alcohol consumption, body mass index and other factors such as high blood pressure.