Brushing your teeth is also good for the heart!

What if mouthwash became a stroke prevention tool? Already in 2011, a study conducted by Taiwanese cardiologists showed that people who have their teeth cleaned and descaled at least twice a year at the dentist reduce their risk ofheart attack and cerebral 24% and 13% respectively, compared to people who have never received this dental treatment.

A new study, this time conducted by researchers at Columbia University in New York (United States), and published last week in the Journal of the American Heart Association American) confirms the usefulness of a good dental hygiene on cardiovascular health. According to the study, oral hygiene limits the development of atherosclerosis, that is, the deposit of a plaque of lipids (atheroma) on the wall of the arteries, subsequently causing its damage ( sclerosis). According to Inserm (National Institute for Health and Medical Research), atherosclerosis explains the vast majority of cases of myocardial infarction and angina pectoris. But it is also the cause of stroke, aortic aneurysm, arteritis obliterans of the lower limbs and renal arterial hypertension.

How to explain the link between oral hygiene and increased risk of cardiovascular disease?

Our mouths contain a lot of bacteria. However, if we do not apply ourselves to brushing teeth, these bacteria proliferate and cause gingivitis or a periodontitis. The resulting bleeding moves bacteria into the bloodstream. Once in the blood, the bacteria adhere to the platelets which then unite the formation of blood clots inside the arteries. Blood clots can stick to the walls of the arteries and block the blood supply to the heart and brain, creating the right conditions for a Stroke.
According to Professor Panos Papapanou, main author of the American study, “Our results show a clear relationship between IMT (the thickness of the carotid wall, editor’s note) and what happens in the mouth, even low periodontitis. intensity should be taken very seriously, as it may hide a more serious problem with the blood vessels ”.