What do your gums and teeth have to do with your heart? According to a growing body of research, quite a lot.
Studies show a strong connection between oral health and cardiovascular health. For American Heart Month, Harvard Magazine spoke with Tien Jiang, a dentist, prosthodontist, and assistant professor in the department of oral health policy and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, to explore how the bacteria in your mouth, and your oral hygiene habits, can influence your overall well-being. At Harvard, Jiang focuses on prosthodontics, patient education, and health literacy.
1. What does current research tell us about the link between gum disease and cardiovascular health?
Current research tells us that the health of our mouths and bodies is connected. Gum disease, formally known as periodontal disease, is associated with increased risk of severe cardiovascular outcomes such as stroke and heart attack.
2. Why is oral health often treated as separate from overall health, and why does that matter?
Historically, some physicians in the 1800s practiced both medicine and dentistry. Dentistry at that time was seen as a trade, as dentists focused on extractions and could travel around like salespeople with tools to perform these procedures. Then, as medical and dental schools were founded in the mid-1800s in the U.S., distinct educational paths were created. The separation was made even more pronounced with the creation of medical and dental insurances in the early and mid-1900s, respectively. Each had a different approach: medical insurance provided catastrophic protection while dental insurance limited expensive services.
3. What everyday actions can patients take to protect both their gums and their heart?
Our mouths are full of good and bad bacteria. It’s not the bacteria per se that we should fear. It’s the sticky film, also known as plaque, on our teeth and gums that leads to inflammation and cavities. Therefore, the two best ways to protect our gums and heart are to remove plaque by brushing and flossing twice a day, and to maintain a healthy diet. We all know that we’re supposed to brush and floss but most of us aren’t doing it enough or effectively.
4. How else can we avoid cavities?
We know that we’re supposed to avoid candy. But what causes the most cavities are, first, frequent snacking on starchy foods like chips and crackers, and second, all-day sipping on beverages other than water, such as soda, juice, energy drinks, and coffee with sugar. Lastly, many people take multiple medications, which dry out their mouths. Reduced saliva severely affects our mouths’ protection mechanism against cavities. We work with physicians to change or adjust medications, or we must seek alternative dental treatments to protect the mouth.
5. Beyond cardiovascular disease, what does research suggest about the links between gum health and other medical conditions?
Periodontal disease has been linked to other systemic conditions such as diabetes, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and pneumonia. The common thread is inflammation and immune response. These connections affect quality of life. Connecting the mouth and body is no longer novel and needs to become commonplace. We need to do a better job of getting the word out so that everyone understands that a healthy mouth goes hand in hand with a healthy body.
