Floss for a healthy heart

June 1st, 2009 at 03:57pm Mike DeDoncker

Several studies have shown that patients with gum disease, known as periodontitis, are also candidates for heart disease.

That has cardiologists and dentists ready to copy parts of each other’s role in health care. For instance,  a cardiologist may examine a patient’s mouth for signs of significant tooth loss, oral inflammation or receding gums and a periodontist might begin asking questions about heart health and family history of heart disease.

The connection between the two is that both are inflammatory diseases, and experts believe managing one disease may reduce the risk for the other.

A paper on the relationship between gum disease and heart disease was recently published in the online versions of the American Journal of Cardiology and the Journal of Periodontology http://www.joponline.org/toc/jop/0/0 . Dr. Kenneth Kornman, editor of the Journal of Periodontology and a co-author of the report, called inflammation a major risk factor for heart disease and said periodontal disease may increase the inflammation level throughout the body.

“Therefore, you will now see cardiologists and periodontists joing forces to help our patients,” he said.

Source: American Academy of Periodontology and PRNewswire-USNewswire                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

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