Link Found Between Heart and Periodontal Diseases

A study published in a recent issue of the Journal of Periodontology discusses why people with periodontal diseases are at a significant risk factor for coronary artery disease. “The results of this study showed that periodontitis in cardiac patients was significantly more frequent than in non-cardiac patients,” said E.H. Rompen of the Department of Periodontology-Dental Surgery at the University of Liege in Belgium.

“We found that 91 percent of patients with cardiovascular disease suffered from moderate to severe periodontitis, while this proportion was 66 percent in the non-cardiac patients.”

Periodontitis seems to influence the occurrence and severity of coronary artery disease and increases the risk of heart attack or stroke, and the study proposes two hypothesis for this. One reason is that periodontal pathogens could enter the bloodstream, invade the blood vessel walls and ultimately cause atherosclerosis.

(Atherosclerosis is set in motion when cells lining the arteries are damaged as a result of high blood pressure, smoking, toxic substances, and other agents.)

Another reason is that several studies have shown that periodontal infections can be correlated with increased blood levels of inflammation such as fibrinogen (this creates blood clots), C- reactive protein, or several hormone proteins.

“This study supports earlier findings, and even showed a significantly higher prevalence of periodontal diseases in cardiac patients. There is still much research to be done,” said Dr. Michael Rethman, president of the American Academy of Periodontology.

– Carolyn Susman