When it comes to high blood pressure, people tend to think of “genetics, diet, exercise, smoking, etc.” Surprisingly, however, oral hygiene is also linked to cardiovascular disease.
According to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Hypertension, regular brushing may help reduce the risk of high blood pressure by 45% and type 2 diabetes by 35%.
What is all this about? Why does oral hygiene affect cardiovascular disease?
Brush daily
Reduced risk of high blood pressure and diabetes!
Researchers from Shanghai Fudan University School of Public Health and Guizhou Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed data from China’s Guizhou Province Population Health Cohort Study (GPHCS) and included a total of Data from 8139 adult participants. The average age of the participants was 44.52 years, 47.5% were female, 66.6% were rural residents, and 58.7% were Han Chinese.
The researchers collected the participants’ basic health information, lifestyle information, tooth brushing frequency information, family history information of chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes, and oral diseases such as bleeding gums, and measured participation in the study. blood pressure, blood sugar, etc.
The researchers found that among all the participants, 12.92% did not brush their teeth regularly; 27.86% brushed their teeth regularly (≥1 times a day). Participants who did not brush their teeth every day tended to be older, live in rural areas, and smoked than participants who brushed regularly.
A total of 1215 participants had hypertension and 767 had type 2 diabetes during a mean follow-up period of up to 6.59 years.
After controlling for other factors, the researchers found that the participants who brushed their teeth had a significantly lower risk of developing high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.
In terms of high blood pressure risk, brushing once a day was associated with a 23% lower risk of high blood pressure compared to participants who did not brush daily; while brushing ≥2 times a day was associated with a lower risk of high blood pressure 45%.
In terms of risk of type 2 diabetes, brushing once a day was not significantly associated with a non-significant 6% reduction in risk of type 2 diabetes compared to participants who did not brush daily; Brushing ≥2 times reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes by up to 35%.
In addition, the researchers also found that the effect of frequent tooth brushing on reducing the risk of hypertension was more significant in Han Chinese and urban residents, while the effect of tooth brushing on the risk of type 2 diabetes was 60%. It was more pronounced in participants who were younger and did not have high blood pressure.
Why humble brushing
Can it affect cardiovascular disease?
Many people think that oral diseases are diseases of teeth and oral mucosa, and have nothing to do with other organs in the body. But in fact, it’s not.
A research team from the University of L’Aquila in Italy conducted a study that investigated 12,000 patients with periodontal disease, of which nearly 4,100 were diagnosed with hypertension. During the survey period, 88% of hypertensive patients were receiving medication, and the rest were not receiving treatment.
The analysis found that people with periodontal disease had a 20 percent higher risk of developing high blood pressure compared to people without cavities and healthy gums.
The oral cavity is a part of the human body, and its health is not entirely a matter of the oral cavity itself, but is sometimes closely related to the health of other organs in the body.
Common oral diseases include dental caries, pulpitis, periodontal disease, dentition loss, oral mucosal disease, dental trauma, etc. These oral diseases will affect the health of the whole body to a certain extent.
The original bacteria of oral diseases and their toxic products will not only directly stimulate the periodontal tissue, but also trigger a series of immune inflammatory responses in the body. The occurrence and development of vascular diseases, etc.
So, how does oral hygiene affect the risk of high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes?
First, the harmful bacteria of periodontal disease cause an inflammatory response and activate cytokines, increasing the levels of inflammatory markers in plasma, such as C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6, etc. . These inflammatory markers may impair intracellular insulin signaling and trigger insulin resistance, an important risk factor for diabetes and hypertension.
Secondly, brushing less or not brushing teeth may promote the proliferation of Porphyromonas gingivalis, lead to deterioration of the intestinal environment and increase the risk of insulin resistance.
Therefore, although oral disease is an infectious disease of the periodontal tissue, as a part of the whole body, its lesions will inevitably be affected by the health of the whole body, and will also cause certain harm to other systems of the body.
How can I maintain oral hygiene?
First of all, how do you know if your oral health is healthy? If there is blood on the toothbrush when brushing, blood on the food when biting food, red and swollen gums, and bleeding when touched, it indicates gingivitis. If the above situation occurs, you should go to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment immediately.
You can prevent periodontal disease by developing good oral hygiene habits, eating more chewy foods rich in fiber and vitamin C, and reducing smoking.
To establish good oral hygiene habits, keep your oral hygiene clean at all times, master the correct way of brushing your teeth, rinse your mouth after meals, brush your teeth in the morning and evening, change your toothbrush regularly, and use dental floss to completely remove the gap between your teeth food residues in.
Have a good eating habit to reduce the frequency of eating sugary foods, because a lot of bacteria accumulate on the teeth and gum margins, bacteria The use of sugar produces acid, which erodes the teeth and causes caries.
In addition, keep an eye out for signs of periodontal disease. To find oral problems, firstly, pay attention to the usual symptoms of periodontal bleeding. If acute gingival bleeding does not meet the local conditions of the oral cavity, system diseases should be investigated.
If the oral health examination finds gingivitis and periodontitis, it should be treated in time, and periodontal calculus should be completely removed to reduce the incidence of gingivitis and periodontitis; dental caries should be timely Filling treatment, the residual roots and crowns that cannot be treated should be pulled out selectively.
Finally, it’s important to have regular oral check-ups, and your dentist will provide oral health care guidance and help to keep your teeth and gums healthy and beautiful.
Unexpectedly, poor oral hygiene can endanger high blood pressure and diabetes! May you all have white and bright teeth!