The health of your mouth could influence the health of your heart, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association[1] .


Researchers from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health found an association between gum disease and progression of atherosclerosis, which is the hardening of arteries and a big risk factor for heart attack.


"These results are important because atherosclerosis progressed in parallel with both clinical periodontal disease and the bacterial profiles in the gums. This is the most direct evidence yet that modifying the periodontal bacterial profile could play a role in preventing or slowing both diseases," study researcher Moïse Desvarieux, M.D., Ph.D., an associate professor of epidemiology at the university, said in a statement.


More than 5,000 plaque samples were taken from the teeth of 420 adults from northern Manhattan who were part of the Oral Infections and Vascular Disease Epidemiology Study. Researchers analyzed the samples for 11 different strains of bacteria that have been linked with periodontal disease, as well as seven control bacteria. They also analyzed fluid around the gums as an indicator of Interleukin-1β, a marker of inflammation, and hardening of the participants' carotid arteries.


Researchers followed up with the participants after a median of three years, and identified associations between gum health and progression of atherosclerosis. They found that improved gum health and decreases in the proportion of gum disease-linked bacteria was associated with slower progression of the intima-medial thickness of the carotid artery. Meanwhile, worsened gum health and increases in gum disease-linked bacteria was associated with greater progression of the intima-medial thickness. The associations held true even after taking into account other factors such as diabetes, body mass index and smoking status.


And compared with participants whose gum health got better over the study period, those whose gum health worsened experienced a 0.1 millimeter difference in intima-medial thickness. (This is important because other studies have shown that a yearly 0.33 millimeter increase in intima-medial thickness raises the risk of coronary events 2.3-fold.)


"When it comes to atherosclerosis, a tenth of a millimeter in the thickness of the carotid artery is a big deal. Based on prior research, it appears to meet the threshold of clinical significance," study researcher Tatjana Rundek, M.D., Ph.D., a professor at the University of Miami whose lab read the carotid artery ultrasounds, said in a statement.



However, this new study merely shows an association between gum health and atherosclerosis progression. Last year, a review of 500 studies published in the journal Circulation cast some doubt that gum disease actually causes heart disease. Lifestyle factors and inflammation[2] are likely other factors responsible for the association, the authors of that review said.


Previously, a study in the journal General Dentistry showed that gum disease may be linked with another health condition: Obesity[3] . However, it's unclear whether one actually causes the other.



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  • Dried Fruits


    While dried fruits may be a definite <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/28/fruit-chew-snacks-ingredients_n_1304369.html">step up from processed fruit snacks</a>, they are still sticky and high in sugar. That means they not only adhere to teeth easily, but the sugar feeds the bacteria in the mouth, which can promote dental erosion, notes Joy Dubost, Ph.D., R.D., a spokesperson for the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. "I'm not saying don't eat them, but just brush your teeth afterward," Dubost says. Messina adds that regular fresh fruits don't typically have this problem because -- even though they still have sugar -- chewing them up promotes saliva and they don't stick to the teeth. "Fruits are generally pretty safe because they're good for overall health <em>and</em> they're chewy, so your average fruit has some substance to it and we chew through it, causing us to salivate more," Messina says. "Saliva is a good thing because it has washing action and it's a nautral buffer [to] acid."




  • Sugary Drinks


    Sugary drinks, such as sodas and sports drinks, are especially bad for teeth when sipping for long periods of time. "If I have a soft drink or sports drink and I'm sipping it every 20 minutes, my teeth are getting bathed with a constant layer of acid," Messina says. "So sitting down and drinking it all at once, or with a meal, is better than snacking or sipping throughout a meal." For this reason, Dubost recommends that parents don't fill their kids' sippy cups with sugary drinks, since kids, whose teeth are still developing, tend to sip at those drinks over long periods of time.




  • Hard Candies


    For the same reason sipping on sodas all day is bad for teeth, hard candies aren't ideal for oral health, Dubost notes. These sweets pack a double whammy in that they not only stick to the teeth, but they also linger in the mouth for a long time as you wait for them to dissolve.




  • Alcohol


    You may not realize it, but alcohol can be bad for the teeth, as it causes <a href="http://www.yalemedicalgroup.org/stw/Page.asp?PageID=STW001565">natural saliva production</a> to decrease, according to the Yale Medical Group. And again, saliva helps to wash away food particles and provides a buffer against acid. People who are alcoholics may <a href="http://www.thefix.com/content/sober-teeth?page=all">experience dental and gum disease</a> since "alcohol irritates all the soft tissue in the mouth and it decreases the amount of natural saliva," Dr. Parimal Nagjee, a dentist in Beverly Hills, <a href="http://www.thefix.com/content/sober-teeth?page=all">told The Fix</a>. "In terms of the tissue, the skin of the mouth is very delicate and the alcohol is corrosive to the gums, cheeks and skin. It can affect the way the tissue cells divide, which is why people who drink heavily have a greater chance of getting mouth or throat cancer.”




  • Citrus/Acidic Foods


    Foods high in acid, such as citrus or tomatoes, can promote tooth decay, especially when eaten alone, Dubost notes. But these foods are fine to eat so long as you flush your mouth with water after consuming them in order to buffer the acid. Citrus not only has acid, but also sugar -- and people who have a habit of sucking on lemons or limes are actually harmfully bathing their teeth in acid, Messina says. "If you look in their mouths, their teeth have a shiny, glossy surface -- that's from constant bathing with the acids," he says. "They will have almost a peculiar look in that you'll see it on the front surfaces of their teeth, but not the back sides of the lower front teeth because those are under the tongue -- and the tongue protects the surface of teeth."




  • Starchy Foods


    Starchy foods, such as potato chips and white bread, easily get trapped in teeth, which can then <a href="http://www.yalemedicalgroup.org/stw/Page.asp?PageID=STW001565">feed the bacteria</a> that make up plaque, according to the Yale Medical Group.




  • Coffee


    Not only do drinks like coffee and tea stain the teeth, they also make the teeth stickier -- meaning more food particles can latch on, Messina says.




  • Worst Foods For Your Teeth


    Dr. Gore recalls the food and beverages with the most harmful effects on your teeth.