The Periodontal Health, Heart Health Connection

What’s Good For Your Heart

Periodontal Health Linked to Heart Health

More and more, patients and practitioners are realizing that good at-home oral health habits are important for more than just nice-looking teeth. Keeping teeth healthy and clean is also important for maintaining good heart health.

According to a recent study published in the Journal of Periodontology, people with periodontal disease are at a higher risk for developing cardiovascular disease than those with healthy gums. The study found that study participants with gum disease had higher levels of harmful bacteria in the bloodstream – up to four times more than study participants with healthy gums.

Researchers at Columbia University School of Public Health found similar results, reinforcing doctors’ longstanding belief that periodontal health is directly linked to cardiovascular health.

Columbia University researchers looked at three forms of bacteria common in patients with gum disease and found that patients with one or any combination of the three bacteria also had hardening of the arteries.

These are just two examples of dozens of ongoing studies that continue to link good oral health with good heart health.
Patient education is key in this area, since the average patient will simply assume that brushing and flossing teeth is only essential to maintaining healthy teeth and gums. Incentive to be more proactive at brushing and flossing may increase should patients have a better understanding of how their oral health affects their overall health, including the link between periodontal health and heart health.

It’s a simple formula – good oral care can help maintain a healthy heart.

Certain Diets May Increase Inflammation, Allergies

Certain Diets May Increase Inflammation, Allergies

The incidence of asthma has been on the rise in the United States for the past decade, and recent research – conducted outside of America – may shed a little light on the rising trend.

The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, compared children from a rural African village whose diets were rich in natural sources of fiber and fatty acids to children living in Florence, Italy. The Italian children ate higher quantities of meat, fat and sugar.

Researchers found that the African children had less obesity-linked bacteria and a greater abundance of fatty acids which protect against inflammation causing asthma, eczema and other allergic reactions.

They also found that Italian children who were still breast-feeding harbored beneficial bacteria resembling the African children’s, indicating diet may dominate other factors such as ethnicity, sanitation, geography or climate, say the researchers.

Pediatrician Dr Paolo Lionetti, of Florence University, and colleagues said children in industrialized countries (like America) who eat low-fiber, high-sugar ‘Western’ diets may reduce microbial richnes, potentially contributing to a rise in allergic and inflammatory diseases in the last half-century.

A rise in new diseases such as allergic, autoimmune disorders, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) both in adults and in children has been observed in industrialized countries, noted the researchers, and it is hypothesized that improvements in hygiene together with decreased microbial exposure in childhood are considered responsible for this increase.

“The gastrointestinal microflora plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of IBD and recent studies demonstrate obesity is associated with imbalance in the normal gut microbiota.”

Australian Dental Association Calls Sports Drinks “Decay in a Bottle”

Australian Dental Association Calls Sports Drinks “Decay in a Bottle”

A new study conducted by the Australian Dental Association found that 68 percent of children showed some sign of tooth erosion, the pattern of which is similar to that seen in wine drinkers.

The study, which included more than 700 children ages six to 15, has effectively shown that the increase in consumption of sports drinks – much more so than sodas and juice drinks – is profoundly affecting the future health of children’s teeth.

Former Queensland Dental Association president Martin Webb said that these drinks may be called “decay in a bottle,” with their high acidity and sugar content that override the mouth’s natural defenses.

“Energy drinks are high in sugar content and quite high in acid, the ingredients of erosion,” Webb explained. He also said that athletes could rehydrate better with water than with these drinks. Lactic acid build-up from sport is present in the mouth and when sugar is added through the energy drinks, the effect is to demineralize the teeth. Unless plenty of water is taken and salivation is stimulated, a layer is stripped from the teeth. It does not come back.

“We also see the degree of erosion that’s caused when people drink large quantities of orange juice and black cola drinks. It strips a thin layer off the teeth,” Webb said.

Doctors Explain Dangers of Prolonged Bottle Use

Well-Worth 5 Minutes

Doctors Explain Dangers of Prolonged Bottle Use

Helping protect children from tooth decay, iron deficiency and obesity is all within the hands of willing and capable physicians, according to a study published in the July 12, 2010 edition of Pediatrics.

Researchers at St. Michael’s Hospital and the Hospital for Sick Children found that family doctors and pediatricians who, at 9-month well-baby visits offered a brief discussion of the dangers of prolonged bottle use, experienced a 60 percent drop in the number of children still using bottles at 3 years old.

That, according to Jonathon Maguire, M.D., a pediatrician at St. Michael’s and the lead author of the study, was a profound return on investment for 5 minutes of education.

Most of the babies whose parents received the advice stopped using the bottle by their first birthday, compared to 16 months for babies whose parents received no instruction, Dr. Maguire said.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends complete bottle weaning for healthy children by 15 months, but many doctors and parents are unaware of this, Dr. Maguire said. Many parents continue bottle feeding well past that time, even until their children are 3 or 4 years old.

“This shows it’s possible for health professionals to positively influence the health behaviour of young children before they develop unhealthy habits and will hopefully lead to healthier children and healthier adults that they become.”