Brush Your Teeth to Boost Heart Health

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Experts have warned that poor oral health could contribute to a host of heart problems and urged people to brush on a regular basis to keep heart problems at bay.

Scientists claim that bacteria from the mouth can travel to other parts of the body via the bloodstream, increasing the risk of inflammation and clotting and increasing the risk of endocarditis, a life-threatening condition.

Researchers have discovered that streptococcus gordonii, which is present in plaque, can travel in the bloodstream and increase the risk of clotting, which can cause a heart attack.

Studies conducted previously have revealed that poor oral health can cause up to 700 different strains of bacteria to spread around the body from the mouth. However, a team from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and the University of Bristol claim that streptococcus gordonii is the most dangerous form of bacteria because it produces a molecule, which mimics fibrinogen, a protein made by the body, which is involved in the blood clotting process. Fibrinogen causes the platelets, blood cells that are responsible for clotting, to be activated, which in turn, cause the platelets to clump together. The clots are particularly dangerous because they enclose the bacteria, protecting them from the body’s immune system defence and prohibit the action of antibiotics, which may be prescribed to fight the infection. When the platelets clump together this can also cause abnormal growths to develop on the heart valves, which may affect blood flow.

The study was presented by Dr Helen Petersen at the Society for General Microbiology’s spring conference in Dublin.

 

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