The Mouth/Body Connection
Links Found Between Periodontal Disease and Heart Disease

Infective endocarditis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the interior lining of the heart and the heart valves, generally caused by bacterial infection.  Heart valves that have been damaged or are abnormal are at highest risk for infective endocarditis, but infection can also occur in normal valves when a large number of bacteria are present.  Researchers believe that when an individual is diagnosed with periodontal disease, a normal task such as chewing or brushing can injure gum tissue, allowing bacteria to enter the bloodstream.  The accumulation of these bacteria on heart valves often leads to a fatal infection unless treated.

Coronary artery disease is another type of cardiovascular disease in which the walls of the coronary arteries (heart blood vessels) gradually thicken due to the build-up of fatty proteins.  Often blood clots form inthese narrowed coronary arteries and normal blood flow activity is obstructed, depleting the heart of the nutrients and oxygen needed to function properly.  Scientists now believe that bacteria found in the oral cavity enter the bloodstream, attach to fatty plaques and may contribute to clot formation.  Researchers have found that people suffering from periodontal disease are twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery disease than those without periodontal disease.  Current data leads scientists to believe that periodontal disease is an important risk factor for heart disease, working in concert with other risk factors such as age, smoking, diabetes, hypertension and elevated blood cholesterol.

Additionally, in a recent study that looked at the causal relationship of oral infection as a risk factor for stroke, people diagnosed with acute cerebrovascular ischemia were found more likely to have an oral infectiona when compared to those in a control group.

The American Heart Association estimates approximately 58 million American, 1 in 5, suffer from cardiovascular disease, making it the number one cause of death in the U.S.