Dental infection favors arteriosclerosis

Study confirms - Dental infection favors arteriosclerosis

07/11/2013

Periodontitis, also known as parodontosis, is caused by bacterial infestation of the teeth. In addition to the gums, the teeth and the jawbone are attacked. X-ray can be a bone degradation well detected. According to the latest study results, American physicians have found an increased risk of arteriosclerosis and heart attack in those affected and have shown a direct correlation between the course of periodontitis and the progression of arteriosclerosis. Thus, successful treatment of the disease will slow the arteriosclerosis within three years, the report said „Journal of the American Heart Association”, has been published. The sooner the dental bed infection is detected, the more effectively it can prevent the spread of inflammation throughout the body and prevent the damage to blood vessels. „This is the clearest evidence to date that a change in the bacterial spectrum in the tooth area can slow down the progression of periodontal disease and arteriosclerosis simultaneously“, says Moïse Desvarieux of Columbia University in New York.

The chronic infection caused by certain oral bacteria results in persistent inflammatory reactions that also spread to the blood vessels beyond the oral area. The defense actions of the body thereby favor a calcification of the blood vessels. In total, the study involved 420 men and women, averaging 68 years old, treated for periodontitis. Within a period of three years, the scientists took a total of 5,008 samples from the periodontal pockets. With the help of DNA tests, eleven bacterial species involved in the development of dental disease have been identified. Factors such as gender, body weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and tobacco consumption were also taken into account in the analysis of the data.

The extent of calcification was determined by ultrasonic measurements of carotid arteries. An improvement in the disease symptoms in the mouth also always indicated alteration of the carotid artery. Up to 0.1 millimeters, the difference in wall thickening between patients with high and low therapeutic success was their periodontitis. The researcher also noticed that even a small change in the severity of periodontitis has a positive or negative effect on the vascular calcification. Inspired by the results, the researchers now want to clarify in further studies whether successful treatment of periodontitis can also reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke. (Fr)

Picture: Jerzy