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Women Who Receive Dental Care Have Lower Heart Disease Risk

Posted on 12. Dec, 2010 by wisdom.

A recent article by Sarah Yang at University of California Berkeley suggests that women who receive dental care can reduce their risks of stroke, heart attacks, and other cardiovascular problems.

The study was published in the journal Health Economics in September 29, 2010 and examined data from men and women enrolled in the Health and Retirement Study. No link between men and dental care and their chance of cardiovascular events was found in this study. Nearly 7,000 people were in the study ranging from ages of 44 to 88.

The data in the Health and Retirement Study followed the same individuals over a period of time and surveyed them every two years with questions such as if they have visited the dentist and if they had experience any anginia (chest pain), stroke, heart attack, or congestive heart failure during the previous two years.

If you are wondering about why there is a difference between men and women in their regards to dental care and cardiovascular events, it is known that women who have estrogen has a protective effect against health disease. It is well known that men have much more testosterone than women and women have much more estrogen than men. Once women reach menopause around the age of 50 their estrogen levels decrease and thus their chances of cardiovascular events begin to increase and catch up to men.

This study helps to show that regular dental care is important for overall health and adds to the increasing research that links oral and cardiovascular health.

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Brush Teeth Twice a Day to Help Prevent Heart Disease

Posted on 13. Jul, 2010 by wisdom.

A new study lead by Professor Richard Watt from University College London has analyzed the Scottish Healthy Survey results of 11,000 adults. The study set out to  investigate whether the number of times individuals brush their teeth has any consequences on the risk of developing heart disease.

In the survey individuals were asked how often they visited the dentist (at least once every six months, every one to two years, or rarely/never) and how often they brushed their teeth (twice a day, once a day or less than once a day).

On a separate the respondents had  nurses collected information on medical history and family history of heart disease, blood pressure. In addition blood samples from those who consented were collected. The samples enabled the researchers to determine levels of inflammation that were present in the body.

The results demonstrate that oral health behaviours were generally good with 62% of those saying they visit the dentist every 6 months and 71% saying that they brush their teeth twice a day.

The data was then adjusted for established cardio risk factors such as obesity, smoking,  social class, and family history of heart disease.

This allowed the researchers to determine that participants who reported less frequent toothbrushing had a 70% extra risk of heart disease compared to individuals who brushed their teeth twice a day. In addition,  individuals with poor oral hygiene tested positive for inflammatory markers.

Clearly this study demonstrates that you should be brushing your teeth in the morning and in the evening. If you are not already doing so take proactive steps to remember by perhaps writing yourself notes or having someone else remind you.

Source: Cesar de Oliveira, Richard Watt,and Mark Hamer,. Toothbrushing, inflammation, and risk of cardiovascular disease: results from Scottish Health Survey. BMJ, 2010;340:c2451

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Gene Linked to Increased Heart Disease in Migraine Women

Posted on 11. Nov, 2008 by wisdom.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death and stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States.

Women who experience migraine with aura appear to be at an increased risk of heart disease and stroke if they have a certain gene.

For the study, researchers followed 25,001 Caucasian women for the occurrence of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and ischemic stroke. About 18 percent of the women in the study had a history of migraine while 40 percent of those with active migraine reported migraine with aura. Migraine with aura can be described as neurological symptoms that usually last for about 30 minutes and most often lead to visual disturbances. The women were also tested for a certain gene variant in the methyleneterahydrofolate reductase gene.

During a 12-year follow-up period, 625 cardiovascular disease events occurred.

The study found that women who had both the gene variant and migraine with aura had more than three times the risk of cardiovascular disease, which was driven by four times the risk for stroke compared with women who did not have the gene variant and no history of migraine.

“This gene by itself does not appear to increase the risk for overall and for specific cardiovascular disease, but rather this research suggests a possible connection between the gene variant and migraine with aura. While it is too early to start testing young women with migraine with aura for this gene variant, more focused research will help us to understand these complex links and will help us to potentially develop preventative strategies,” said study author Tobias Kurth, MD, ScD.

“Doctors should try to reduce heart disease risk factors and advise young women who experience migraine with aura not to smoke and to consider birth control pill alternatives as these increase the risk of ischemic vascular problems,” said Kurth.

Adapted from Materials by the American Academy of Neurology.

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