Brush your teeth—it could save your life

The plaque that develops on teeth is the same plaque that causes heart attacks. Since 1991, hundreds of journal articles have been published demonstrating the relationship between poor dental hygiene and ischemic heart disease. New research released Oct. 19 goes further, showing that reducing dental plaque reduces the risk for heart disease.

A collaborative effort between the University of Illinois at the Chicago School of Dentistry and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health used high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP)—a sensitive marker for future heart attacks and strokes—to demonstrate that removing dental plaque reduced inflammation throughout the body as a whole.

Researchers gave the randomized subjects the same brushing protocol as well as a 60-day supply of toothpaste containing either Plaque HD—a plaque identifying toothpaste—or a placebo.

Those in the Plaque HD group were able to see their plaque and remove it with directed brushing. In addition, the product's proprietary formulation contains unique combinations and concentrations of cleaning agents that weaken the core of the plaque structure to help the subject visualize and more effectively remove the plaque.

The plaque identifying toothpaste reduced mean plaque score by 49 percent compared to a 24 percent reduction in the placebo group.

"While the findings on reducing dental plaque extend a previous observation, the findings on decreasing inflammation are new and novel," Charles H. Hennekens, MD, DrPH, senior author and senior academic advisor at the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University, said in a statement.

Based on these findings, Hennekens and colleagues are drafting an investigator initiated research grant proposal to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under the direction of co-author Patrick E. McBride, MD, MPH, professor of medicine and interim associate dean for faculty affairs the School of Medicine and Public Health.

This large scale randomized trial will test whether Plaque HD reduces risks of heart attacks and strokes. The trial will be conducted in the Wisconsin Network for Health Research (WiNHR) and the Wisconsin Research and Education Network (WREN), both of which McBride directs.