Hot off the presses in the August 2012 issue of The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society: A study demonstrates a link between lack of daily toothbrushing and increased risk of dementia. "(Patients) who reported not brushing their teeth daily had a 22% to 65% greater risk of dementia than those who brushed three times daily." And the risk seems greater for males than females. The authors caution that the statistical link is not the same as poor oral hygiene causing dementia, and the finding is interesting nonetheless. I look forward to more studies investigating this potentially significant link between oral hygiene and dementia.
Online citation: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2012.04064.x/abstract
Healthy Mouth, Healthy Body
As the blog of Dr. Brien Harvey and his team, this blog is intended to provide an opportunity to discuss the importance of optimizing oral health and function in gaining or maintaining overall wellness. Dr. Harvey and team are located in Tucson, Arizona and have a practice limited to Periodotnics and Dental Implants.
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Monday, September 17, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
Recent information from the American Heart Association and the American Academy of Periodontology
Recently, The American Heart Association published an
article in the journal Circulation analyzing research data on the link between
gum disease and heart disease. Here is
the article: http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/early/2012/04/18/CIR.0b013e31825719f3.full.pdf+html.
While there is clear evidence linking untreated gum disease (of sufficient severity to result in increased systemic inflammation) to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, there
is insufficient evidence to classify gum disease as a direct cause of
cardiovascular disease. And, while there
is evidence linking successful treatment of gum disease to reduced systemic
inflammation short-term, there is insufficient evidence to declare that this
results in improved cardiovascular outcomes (reduced risk) long-term. Even so, this failure to establish a direct correlation
between periodontal therapy/improved gum health and improved long-term outcomes
might simply be due to a lack of specific research looking closely enough at
this relationship. As the American Academy of Periodontology states in a
recent press release:
"The AAP believes additional long-term interventional
studies are needed to better understand the specific nature of the relationship
between periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease. Patients’ periodontal
status should also be added to future longitudinal studies of cardiovascular
disease. The AAP hopes that the American Heart Association’s statement brings
attention to the association between the two diseases and the need for
additional research in this area."
Stay tuned (and follow this blog) for additional updates on this
important topic.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Healthy Mouth, Healthy Body follow-up
Here is a link to a web page published by the American Academy of Periodontology on the topic of the link between peridontal disease and systemic conditions (such as heart attach, stroke, and diabetes):
http://www.perio.org/consumer/mbc.top2.htm
http://www.perio.org/consumer/mbc.top2.htm
Monday, December 5, 2011
Getting Started: Why bother striving to have a healthy mouth?
There is compelling evidence that untreated peridontal disease is a risk factor for many systemic conditions, such as heart disease/stroke, diabetes, arthritis including rheumatoid arthritis, and gum disease even seems to increase the risk for pancreatic cancer. For example, untreated gum disease results in elevated C-reactive protein (Crp), and increasing Crp is linked to adverse outcomes and increased mortality with heart attacks and strokes. Guess what? The inflammation associated with gum disease that seems to entail the increased risk for these adverse outcomes is caused by the germs in one's plaque getting underneath the gumline. Bottom line? My very favorite lay press article on the issue summed it up with its headline: "Floss or Die"
What do you think?
What do you think?
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