Bad Dental Hygiene Linked to Heart Disease and Dementia
A two-part documentary aired earlier this month on the BBC showed how poor dental hygiene can affect overall health.
Celebrity doctor Dr Christoffer Van Tulleken went for two weeks without brushing the teeth on one side of his mouth to discover the consequences. After the two weeks he had developed mild gum disease.
The University of Birmingham School of Dentistry carried out lab tests to find out exactly what had happened.
The results showed that neglecting to brush his teeth for a fortnight had caused damage to his immune system; his white blood cells were less effective at treating infection. This triggered an inflammation in his entire body.
Inflammation is the body’s response to an infection and is usually seen as red, swollen tissue. In the long-run, less effective white blood cells could lead to chronic inflammation which is capable of damaging the body’s organs and circulatory system.
Studies have also linked gum disease to diseases such as stroke, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.
