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Your Smile May Offer Heart Health Clues

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 29, 2008

Researchers think the way to a healthy heart might be through your gums and teeth.

Evidence suggests that the healthier they are, the stronger and less disease-prone the heart is. Gum disease might be an early warning, with poor oral health linked to diabetes, kidney disease, preterm labor, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease and cancer.

"A lot of research studies are coming out that seem to suggest some possible link or associations" between oral infection and systemic disorders, says Sally Cram, a periodontist and consumer adviser for the American Dental Association.

Several recent studies show a startling correlation between gum health and atherosclerosis, a condition underlying much heart disease: The worse a person's gum disease, the narrower that person's arteries as a result of a buildup of plaque.

A New England Journal of Medicine report last year found that patients who underwent an intensive, six-month program of treatment for gum disease emerged not only with healthier gums, but also with improved endothelial function - that is, better function of the lining of the blood vessels.
Gum disease may also be implicated in a "small, but significant" increase in overall cancer risk for men, according to a recent study in The Lancet Oncology. The authors linked gum disease to a higher chance of lung, kidney, pancreatic and blood cancers. A similar pattern is emerging for kidney disease and Alzheimer's.

In diabetes, however, the body-mouth connection is clear-cut. Diabetics who have uncontrolled gum disease, Cram said, "have a much harder time than other diabetics controlling their blood sugar levels."

The Washington Post

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