A research team used a simple mouth rinse to see if white blood cell levels in the saliva could be linked to signs of heart disease, and found “high levels correlated with compromised flow-mediated dilation, an early indicator of poor arterial health,” reports Frontiers in Oral Health.
Periodontitis has been known to be linked to cardiovascular disease. As the relationship between the two is studied, there many be ways to decrease the risk of developing heart disease through better oral health.
The authors of the study shared that the oral rinse could be used at an annual dental checkup and would be easy to implement at any clinic. However, they also plan to continue to study this topic with an increased population and explore more advanced results.
