What’s on your teeth, may be in your heart

Partners In Prevention 1A new study in the journal Medicine reports that the bacteria initiating dental decay is also found on the heart valves of patients with heart disease.

Nothing new here. Other studies have shown that Streptococcus mutans to be the dominant microorganism in diseased arterial plaque.

BASF clumped S. mutans(The picture above has blue chains of bacteria which are Streptococcus mutans.)

All these studies point to a role that oral bacteria associated with both dental decay and gum disease, might play in the inflammatory process that leads to progression of heart disease.

Indeed, some research now purports that oral bacteria trigger up to  50% of all heart attacks and strokes.

In this context, in an aging community, it seems we should be paying for dental services which manage these bacterial infections in the mouth. Instead, we are routinely offered teeth cleaning, teeth polishing and scaling under the gums which have no evidence of being effective in handling Streptococcus mutans and other oral bacteria.

For more information, please visit: http://partnersinprevention.ca/whats-on-your-teeth-may-be-in-your-heart/.

By Ross Perry
SOURCED: Partners in Preventions – http://www.partnersinprevention.ca/

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