Take care of your gum to save your heart: Here’s why
1 min read . Updated: 30 Jan 2023, 06:59 AM IST
PremiumResearchers at Hiroshima University have found that periodontitis could be connected to even more severe problems elsewhere in the body -- the heart.
Gum disease, also known as periodontitis, can result in a variety of dental issues, including bleeding gums, bad breath and tooth loss. It may be related to much more significant conditions elsewhere in the body, including the heart, according to Hiroshima University researchers.
In a sample of 76 patients with cardiac illness, the research team discovered a statistically significant association between periodontitis and fibrosis, the scarring of a left atrial appendage that can cause atrial fibrillation. The study offers preliminary proof that periodontitis might worsen atrial fibrosis and may be a new, modifiable risk factor for atrial fibrillation.
This histological examination of the left atrial appendages sought to provide light on the connection between atrial fibrosis severity and clinical periodontal health. The patients' left atrial appendages were surgically removed, and the tissue was examined to determine a link between the degree of atrial fibrosis and the severity of the periodontal disease.
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The researchers found that the gum inflammation and heart disease may both be made worse by one another by the severity of the fibrosis. Along with lowering other risk factors like weight, activity levels, nicotine and alcohol usage, periodontal care may help with comprehensive atrial fibrillation management.
The study did not establish a causal relationship between gum disease and the degree of atrial fibrosis, even if there seems to be a link.
In order to prove that periodontitis causes atrial fibrosis and that periodontal therapy can affect it, more proof must be provided. The study aims to support dental professionals' involvement in comprehensive atrial fibrillation care and to confirm that periodontitis is a modifiable risk factor for atrial fibrillation.
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Of the identified atrial fibrillation risk factors, periodontitis is the most easily treated and least expensive. The completion of this study series may therefore have positive effects on a large number of people around the world.
Future clinical trials will be conducted, according to the researchers, to determine whether periodontal therapy reduces the incidence of atrial fibrillation and enhances patient outcomes.
(With ANI inputs)
