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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – DALLAS, April 18, 2012 – Despite popular belief, gum disease hasn’t been proven to cause atherosclerotic heart disease or stroke, and treating gum disease hasn’t been proven to prevent heart disease or stroke, according to a new scientific statement published in Circulation, an American Heart Association journal.
Keeping teeth and gums healthy is important for your overall health.
However, an American Heart Association expert committee — made up of
cardiologists, dentists and infectious diseases specialists — found no
conclusive scientific evidence that gum disease, also known as
periodontal disease, causes or increases the rates of cardiovascular
diseases. Current data don’t indicate whether regular brushing and
flossing or treatment of gum disease can cut the incidence of
atherosclerosis, the narrowing of the arteries that can cause heart
attacks and strokes.
Observational studies have noted associations between gum disease and
cardiovascular disease, but the 500 journal articles and studies
reviewed by the committee didn’t confirm a causative link.
“There’s a lot of confusion out there,” said Peter Lockhart, D.D.S.,
co-chair of the statement writing group and professor and chair of oral
medicine at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C. “The
message sent out by some in healthcare professions that heart attack
and stroke are directly linked to gum disease, can distort the facts,
alarm patients and perhaps shift the focus on prevention away from well
known risk factors for these diseases.”
Gum disease and cardiovascular disease both produce markers of
inflammation such as C-reactive protein, and share other common risk
factors as well, including cigarette smoking, age and diabetes
mellitus. These common factors may help explain why diseases of the
blood vessels and mouth occur in tandem. Although several studies
appeared to show a stronger relationship between these diseases, in
those studies researchers didn’t account for the risk factors common to
both diseases.
“Much of the literature is conflicting,” Lockhart said, “but if there
was a strong causative link, we would likely know that by now.”
A large, long-term study would be needed to prove if dental disease
causes heart disease and stroke, he said.
Such a study isn’t likely to be done in the near future, and it’s most
important to let patients know “what we know now, and what we don’t
know,” Lockhart said.
For more than a century, doctors have proposed that infected gums lead
to systemic problems like heart disease, and we know that mouth
bacteria frequently enter the blood stream during dental procedures and
during naturally occurring events such as tooth brushing.
“We already know that some people are less proactive about their
cardiovascular health than others. Individuals who do not pay attention
to the very powerful and well proven risk factors, like smoking,
diabetes or high blood pressure, may not pay close attention to their
oral health either,” Lockhart said.
Statements that imply a cause and effect relationship between
periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease, or claim that dental
treatment may prevent heart attack or stroke are “unwarranted,” at this
time, the statement authors said.
The American Dental Association Council on Scientific Affairs agrees
with the conclusions of this report. The statement has been endorsed by
the World Heart Federation.
The statement’s writing group was co-chaired by Ann F. Bolger, M.D.
Other co-authors are Panos N. Papapanou, D.D.S., Ph.D.; Olusegun
Osinbowale, M.D.; Maurizo Trevisan, M.D.; Matthew E. Levison, M.D.;
Kathryn A. Taubert, Ph.D.; Jane W. Newburger, M.D., M.P.H; Heather L.
Gornik, M.D., M.H.S.; Michael H. Gewitz, M.D.; Walter R. Wilson, M.D.;
Sidney C. Smith Jr., M.D.; and Larry M. Baddour, M.D. Author
disclosures are on the manuscript.
Learn more about how a healthy lifestyle and healthy eating are
important steps toward good health. Take these free risk assessment
quizzes and find your personal risk of heart attack, high blood
pressure and diabetes. Visit the American Stroke Association site for
comprehensive info on stroke.
The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association receives funding mostly from individuals. Foundations and
corporations donate as well, and fund specific programs and events. Strict policies are enforced to prevent these
relationships from influencing the association’s science content. Financial information for the American Heart
Association, including a list of contributions from pharmaceutical companies and device manufacturers, is available at www.heart.org/corporatefunding.
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