Studies Reveal Endocarditis Risk for Patients with Congenital Conditions and Poor Oral Hygiene

Studies presented in Copenhagen have revealed an increased risk of endocarditis in patients with congenital heart conditions who have poor oral hygiene.

Research shows that younger patients with congenital heart conditions are more likely to have poor oral hygiene habits, but their general health behaviour is better than adult patients, as very few smoke and drink on a regular basis. Patients with single ventricle physiology were found to have poor standards of oral hygiene, despite having better health behaviour than patients with other types of congenital condition.

The findings of two studies on the relationship between congenital heart conditions and oral health were presented at the 12^th Annual Spring Meeting on Cardiovascular Nursing in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Professor Philip Moons, from the University of Leuven, Belgium and guest professor at Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark, said that patients with congenital heart conditions are treated early in their lives but there is often no cure and as a result, they are susceptible to complications. Professor Moons said that binge drinking can trigger irregular heart rhythms, while good dental hygiene can reduce the risk of endocarditis.

 

Join this Discussion

Tags: endocarditis, Oral hygiene and heart health, Poor oral health poor overall health, poor oral hygiene

This entry was posted on Friday, March 16th, 2012 at 10:48 am and is filed under General, Oral health. Both comments and pings are currently closed.