Neglecting to brush twice a day could lead to a 70 percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a new large population-based study.


Researchers examined self-reported oral hygiene habits and coronary disease in 11,869 adults aged 35 and older (with a mean age of 50) from the Scottish Health Survey—a study conducted once every three to five years—between the years 1995 and 2003. The team, led by Cesar de Oliveira, a research fellow in epidemiology and public health at University College London, followed up with subjects after an average of eight years to see if they had had a heart attack or coronary disease.
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Chronic inflammation—and the body's response to it—is thought to be a factor for heart disease, and as the authors noted, periodontal disease "is one of the most common chronic infections and is associated with a moderate systemic inflammatory response."


As part of the study, de Oliveira and colleagues also tested blood samples from 4,830 of the survey subjects for two key inflammatory markers (C reactive protein and fibrinogen). They found a strong association between poor oral hygiene routines and high levels of these markers, suggesting inflammation as a possible link between oral and heart health. The possibility should be enough, the authors noted, to suggest that, "doctors should be alert to the possible oral source of an increase inflammatory burden." And it might just be another reason for people to brush more often.