As the new study shows, elderly people who have gone through a thorough brushing of their teeth may have a reduced chance of a heart attack or stroke, compared to their peers who are less anxious about oral hygiene.

The study, which surveyed nearly 22,000 residents of Taiwan's island at the age of 50, found that those who had had a professional "cleaning" of teeth last year had a lower risk of a stroke or heart attack within the next seven years.

The removal of plaque, sometimes called deep tooth cleaning, consists in removing the "plaques" formed on the teeth and deep inside the dental pockets inside the gums. These plaques are a shelter for bacteria, which can lead to gum disease.

The new data published in the American Medical Journal is not proof that a good tooth brushing reduces the risk of heart problems. But the study is consistent with a previous study linking gum disease with an increased risk of heart disease, says study leader, Dr. Zu-Ying Chen, a cardiologist at the Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan,.

Because gum disease is caused by a bacterial infection, scientists suspect that it can contribute to the occurrence of a heart attack or stroke, causing chronic inflammation in the blood vessels. And early studies have shown that treating gum disease can reduce the blood levels of substances associated with inflammation, says Dr. Chen. But while no one is sure that a regular visit to your dentist can prevent a future stroke.

To conduct the study, Chen's group reviewed insurance records of 21,876 patients aged 50 years and older. The National Insurance Program of Taiwan pays for professional cleaning of teeth, regardless of whether the patient has a serious gum disease, or not.

Approximately half of the people who participated in the study had a tooth brushing a year ago, and the other half did not. For the next seven years, 1. 6 percent of the group who brushed their teeth, had a heart attack, and 9. 9 percent - a stroke. In the control group, infarction occurred in 2. 2 percent of participants, and a stroke - 10 percent.

Scientists have taken into account a number of other factors, such as the presence of chronic health disorders - diabetes, high blood pressure, or kidney disease. People who underwent deep brushing every two years during the period under examination had reduced risks of even such "events" of the cardiovascular system.

Nevertheless, the study is not free from a number of shortcomings. The most important of these, Chen said, was that scientists had no information about whether the subjects smoked, what weight they had, what diet they followed, whether there were similar illnesses in the family - that is, there was no information on the main factors, Influence on the risk of heart attack and stroke.

In addition, it was impossible to determine whether a healthy lifestyle led those people who regularly underwent tooth cleaning.

Today, scientists recommend to pay attention to oral health, and to overall health - which can be beneficial for the health of the heart. "Poor oral hygiene is detrimental to our health, so it is very important to take care of your teeth," says Chen, who in November presented the results of his group's work at the meeting of the American Heart Association.

medbe. en Key words:.