Is there a relationship between nighttime brushing and heart disease?

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Is there a relationship between nighttime brushing and heart disease?

Many of us have the habit of brushing twice a day. It’s important to brush teeth at night than in the morning. According to research by Lockhart et. al, people with poor oral hygiene have higher chances of bacteremia, and this can trigger cardiac problems in vulnerable individuals. He examined over 1500 hospitalized patients, and it was found that individuals who avoid brushing at night have a higher risk of cardiovascular events than those who brush twice daily.

During the daytime, the movement of the tongue and the flow of saliva keep the oral cavity clean to some extent. However, during nighttime, the salivary flow is reduced, and the remnants of food articles contribute to bacterial growth, especially in individuals with periodontal problems and gingivitis.

Although a direct cause-and-effect relationship could not be established, it is found that good oral hygiene correlates with better health outcomes. These include decreased cardiac events, lower hospitalization and improved prognosis in the vulnerable group. A detailed study should be conducted considering all relevant parameters such as age, gender and existing heart conditions to establish a cause-and-effect relationship.

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Reference

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/123168886.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cpps

MBH/AB

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Heart diseases are the result of many complex events and personal habits of the person. It depends on their lifestyle, genetic susceptibility, eating habits, exercise and social habits such as smoking and alcohol consumption. It is difficult to draw a causal relationship between brushing habits and heart disease. Whereas, the oral hygiene may be one the contributors. But further research has to be conducted on homogenous population with respect to other confounding factors to verify the causal relationship.

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Long term/ untreated dental infections have been known to be one of the cause of infective endocarditis.

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