A study on dental care and heart disease from researchers at the University of California at Berkley published online in September of 2010 finds that women who keep up dental work have a lower incidence of heart attacks, stroke and other cardiovascular disease.
The study, The effect of dental care on cardiovascular disease outcomes did not find a heart risk reduction for men who visited the dentist but found that women who had regular dental visits have about a one-third less chance of having a cardiovascular incident.
"Many studies have found associations between dental care and cardiovascular disease, but our study is the first to show that general dental care leads to fewer heart attacks, strokes, and other adverse cardiovascular outcomes in a causal way," study lead researcher Timothy Brown said.
Dental and Heart Disease Study Used Data on 7,000 Patients
Brown, an assistant professor of health policy and management at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health, and co-researchers Erin Dela Cruz and Stephen Brown, used data from some 7,000 people between the ages of 44 and 88 who had been included in a Health and Retirement Study. The authors said that the results can only be considered fully accurate for those in the age-range of the study.
The Health and Retirement Study collected data on the same people every two years from 1996 to 2004 and information gathered included the frequency of dental visits and the subject's incidence of cardiovascular trauma. The study took into account other risk factors such as weight, alcohol and tobacco consumption and high blood pressure.
Dental Cleaning Helps Reduce Hearth Disease
Brown said they did not have access to information on the procedures that the women had during their dental visits but he cited information from other studies that indicate 75% of dental visits by middle-aged to older people are for commonplace dental procedures like cleaning and fluoride treatments. The study suggests that for women to receive the benefits of a lower risk of cardiovascular incidents, they must be taking care of their teeth regularly.
Study co-author Steven Brown suggests that estrogen may play a role.
"We think the findings reflect differences in how men and women develop cardiovascular disease. Other studies suggest that estrogen has a protective effect against heart disease because it helps prevent the development of atherosclerosis," Steven Brown said.
Sources:
Brown, T. T., Cruz, E. D. and Brown, S. S. , The effect of dental care on cardiovascular disease outcomes: an application of instrumental variables in the presence of heterogeneity and self-selection; published September 29 2010, accessed October 2; Health Economics
Yang, Sarah; Women who get dental care have lower risk of heart disease, study says; published October 1 2010, accessed Oct. 2; Health Canal
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