Ejpc: does brushing help protect the heart?

December 4, 2019 / BIOON / -- according to a study published today in the Journal of European Journal of preventive cardiology, frequent brushing is associated with reduced risk of AF and heart failure Previous studies have shown that poor oral hygiene can lead to bacteria in the blood and inflammation in the body Inflammation increases the risk of atrial fibrillation (irregular heart rhythm) and heart failure (impaired ability of the heart to draw blood or relax and pump blood) The study examined the link between oral hygiene and the occurrence of both In a retrospective cohort study, 161286 participants in the Korean national health insurance system aged 40-79 years were recruited without a history of atrial fibrillation or heart failure Participants underwent routine medical examinations between 2003 and 2004 Collected information about height, weight, laboratory tests, disease, lifestyle, oral health and oral health behaviors (image source: www Pixabay Com) during a median follow-up of 10.5 years, 4911 (3.0%) participants developed heart fibrillation, while 7971 (4.9%) developed heart failure In addition, brushing three or more times a day was associated with a 10% reduction in the risk of AF and a 12% reduction in the risk of heart failure These findings were not significantly correlated with many factors, including age, gender, socioeconomic status, regular exercise, alcohol consumption, body mass index, and comorbidities such as hypertension Although the mechanism has not been studied in this study, one possibility is that frequent brushing reduces bacteria in the subgingival biofilm (bacteria live in pockets between the teeth and gums), thereby preventing their transfer to the blood Dr Tae Jin Song, a senior author at Lihua women's University in Seoul, South Korea, pointed out that the analysis was limited to one country and that the observational study did not prove a causal relationship But he added: "we've looked at a large group of people over a long period of time, which adds credibility to our findings." Information source: brush your team to protect the heart original source: yoonkyung Chang, Ho geol woo, Jin Park, Ji sung Lee, Tae Jin Song Improved oral hygiene card is associated with increased risk of occurrence for urban fabric and heart failure: a nationwide population-based court study European Journal of preventive cardiology, 2019; 204748731988601 DOI: 10.1177/2047487319886018