Study: Floss To Prevent Heart Attacks

CANVAS STAFF REPORTS - A scientist warns that inadequate oral hygiene can lead to heart attacks and strokes thanks to a common bacteria responsible for tooth decay.

A Bristol University dental scientist's research, recently written about by the UK Telegraph , shows that the bacteria can break out into the bloodstream and help cause blood clots to form.

Bleeding gums can help Streptococcus bacteria escape from the mouth and get into the blood. There the bacteria use a protein called PadA found on their surface to force blood platelets to bind together as a protective shield.

Howard Jenkinson, professor of oral microbiology, said he has "whittled down to a single protein molecule on the surface of bacteria that can activate platelets and make them spread."

The platelets encase the bacteria, protecting it against both the immune system and antibiotics used to prevent infection, he said. The clumping can also "cause small blood clots, growths on the heart valves or inflammation of blood vessels that can block the blood supply to the heart and brain," he told the Telegraph.

Other scientists have also said that the road to good health includes the teeth.

The UK Independent reported on a study that suggests there may be a link between low tooth count and poor memory. The University of Kentucky study tested people 75-90 years old to see if they could remember 10 words they had been presented with five minutes earlier.

Participants were tested over three consecutive years. Those with fewer teeth scored lower than those with more teeth in the first test. Scores declined much more quickly afterwards.

Dr. Niger Carter, who heads the British Dental Foundation, told the Independent that the memory tests "add to a growing list of evidence of the wide-ranging systemic links relating to poor oral health." Previous studies have shown links to Alzheimer's, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, lung disease and miscarriage and premature birth.