Professional dental cleanings may reduce risk of heart attack, stroke / American Heart Association

Professional dental cleanings may reduce risk of heart attack, strokeAbstracts 17704 and 10576 - EMBARGOED UNTIL 11AM ET
November 13, 2011

Study Highlights:
•Taiwan study finds that patients who had professional tooth scraping and cleaning had reduced  risks of heart attack and stroke.
•More frequent scraping/cleaning was associated with more reduced risk compared to occasional or never tooth scraping/cleaning
•In a separate study from Sweden, the type of periodontal disease predicted degree of risks for heart attack, stroke and heart failure.


ORLANDO, FLA., Nov. 13, 2011 — Professional tooth scaling was associated with fewer heart attacks and strokes in a study (Abstract 17704) from Taiwan presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2011.

Among more than 100,000 people, those who had their teeth scraped and cleaned (tooth scaling) by a dentist or dental hygienist had a 24 percent lower risk of heart attack and 13 percent lower risk of stroke compared to those who had never had a dental cleaning. The participants were followed for an average of seven years.

Scientists considered tooth scaling frequent if it occurred at least twice or more in two years; occasional tooth scaling was once or less in two years.

The study included more than 51,000 adults who had received at least one full or partial tooth scaling and a similar number of people matched with gender and health conditions who had no tooth scaling. None of the participants had a history of heart attack or stroke at the beginning of the study.

The study didn’t adjust for heart attack and stroke risk factors — such as weight, smoking and race — that weren’t included in the Taiwan National Health insurance data base, the source of the information used in the analysis.

“Protection from heart disease and stroke was more pronounced in participants who got tooth scaling at least once a year,” said Emily (Zu-Yin) Chen, M.D., cardiology fellow at the Veterans General Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan.

Professional tooth scaling appears to reduce inflammation-causing bacterial growth that can lead to heart disease or stroke, she said.
Hsin-Bang Leu M.D., is the study co-author.  Author disclosures and funding are on the abstract.

Type of periodontal disease predicts degree of risk for heart attack, stroke, and heart failure
In a separate study (abstract 10576), researchers found that the value of markers for gum disease predict heart attack, congestive heart failure and stroke in different ways and to different degrees.
Anders Holmlund, D.D.S., Ph.D. Centre for Research and Development of the County Council of Gävleborg, Sweden, and senior consultant; Specialized Dentistry, studied 7,999 participants with periodontal disease and found people with:
•Fewer than 21 teeth had a 69 percent increased risk of heart attack compared to those with the most teeth.
•A higher number of deepened periodontal pockets (infection of the gum around the base of the tooth) had a 53 percent increased risk of heart attack compared to those with the fewest pockets.
•The least amount of teeth had a 2.5 increased risk of congestive heart failure compared to those with the most teeth.
•The highest incidence of gum bleeding had a 2.1 increased risk of stroke compared to those with the lowest incidence.
Author disclosures and funding are on the abstracts.

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Statements and conclusions of study authors published in American Heart Association scientific journals are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the association’s policy or position.  The association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability.  The association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific association programs and events.  The association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content.  Revenues from pharmaceutical and device corporations are available at www.heart.org/corporatefunding .

NR11-1135 (SS11/Chen)

Note: Actual presentation for abstract 17704 is 9:30 a.m., ET Tuesday, Nov. 15.
          Actual presentation for abstract 10576 is 9:30 a.m., ET Wednesday, Nov 16.

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http://newsroom.heart.org/pr/aha/_prv-professional-dental-cleanings-217760.aspx, along with general Sessions multimedia resources. Video clips with researchers/authors of studies will be added to the release links after embargo.  

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Professional dental cleanings may reduce risk of heart attack, stroke / American Heart Association