Gum disease linked to increased stroke risk

Making regular visits to the dentist not only protects the teeth, it also may protect the carotid arteries - the main blood vessels leading to the brain.

Study findings presented in Brisbane, Australia, at an International Association for Dental Research gathering hint that gum disease may contribute to clogged carotids, leading to an increased risk of stroke.

Chronic inflammation arising from dental disease has been implicated in the development of atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries - a key risk factor for stroke. Advanced carotid artery blockages contain calcium, and can be imaged when a dentist takes a panoramic x-ray of the teeth.

Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, used panoramic x-rays to quantify the degree of dental disease seen in 18 individuals with carotid artery clogs and 18 without these blockages who were matched for age, sex and stroke risk factors such as body weight, smoking history, blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes.

They found that dental disease, as determined by the number of teeth with decay, missing teeth, and the amount of bone loss around the teeth was much more prevalent in people with carotid atheromas, as the clogs are called, than in those without.

It was thought that untreated dental disease may accelerate the atherosclerotic process.

- Reuters