by Angeline Oppenheimer

Created on: March 22, 2010   Last Updated: October 30, 2010

Dental hygiene is your first line of defense against plaque formation which can lead to gingivitis and periodontal disease. Gingivitis is the milder and reversible form of gum disease, and is characterized by swollen, bleeding or inflamed gums. If left untreated, gingivitis can progress to periodontal disease, a gum disease that can cause the gum to pull away from the teeth and destroy the connective tissue that supports the teeth. Currently, about 80 percent of the American adults have some form of gum disease. Poor oral hygiene can also cause bad breath as bacteria breed inside mouth to give off foul-smelling sulfur gases. Poor dental health can also bring about caries and loss of teeth, compromising your smile. However, more worrying are recent reports linking poor dental health to increased risks of heart disease.

More than 50 studies have linked gum disease to heart disease and stroke. Poor dental hygiene can cause bleeding gums, which can then provide entry for up to 700 different types of bacteria found in the human mouth. According to Professor Howard Jenkinson from the University of Bristol, oral bacteria such as Streptococcus gordonii and Stroptococcus sanguinis are common infecting agents, presenting risk factors for heart disease, the leading cause of death in America, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. He goes on to add, “In other words, it doesn’t matter how fit, slim or healthy you are, you’re adding to your chances of getting heart disease by having bad teeth.”

If that is a piece of grim news, more studies show that bad dental hygiene may also present other heart-related health problems. The American Heart Association revealed studies that showed that dental disease can put patients at risks for infective endocarditis (IE), a rare but life-threatening infection of the lining of the heart or heart valve that can occur when bacteria enter the blood stream.

According to study’s lead author, Peter Lockhart, D.D.S., “It’s the gingival (gum) disease and dental caries (decay) that lead to chronic and acute infections such as abscesses. It’s that sort of thing that puts you at risk for frequent bacteremia and presumably endocarditis if you have a heart or other medical condition that puts you at risk.”

The FASEB Journal also reported several cohort studies that showed a strong correlation between cardiovascular events and periodontal disease. 35 otherwise healthy individuals

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