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A connection exists between periodontal disease and heart disease, stroke, lung disease, and premature low birthweight babies. This has been established by studies that have concluded there is more of an association between heart disease and infection in the mouth than between heart disease and cholesterol levels or smoking.
The first mechanism is that bacteria and bacterial products from the mouth erode the surface of the coronary arteries allowing cholesterol and calcium to attach to the vessel wall. This slowly closes off the lumen or opening of the coronary artery.
A second mechanism is an inflammatory infection of the coronary artery that produces an enlargement that may suddenly burst plugging up the artery. This results in a sudden heart attack and possible death of the patient. During open heart surgery, where the coronary arteries have been replaced, bacterial studies have definitely linked the bacteria in the coronary arteries to the bacteria in the mouth as the source of the infection.
Additionally, there is long known link between the infections in the mouth and the heart valves. This infection of the heart valves is known as bacterial endocarditis therefore patients with problem heart valves are premedicated before dental treatment as a preventive measure.
In hospital clinics, more and more direct infections of the heart muscle and the membranes covering it have been observed.
Stroke occurs in a similar fashion as the heart disease when blood vessels in the brain become plugged with infected plugs of bacteria promoted debris, or there is an infective erosion of a blood vessel that allows blood to leak out in the wrong places causing loss of brain tissue. Of course, this may be harder to treat than heart disease and more serious to the patient.
While the heart and stroke studies have been done in the United States, studies in England have shown that having ones teeth in good periodontal health reduces the post surgical pneumonia associated with general anesthesia by 75-90%. The anesthesia simply blows the bacteria from the mouth into the lungs. A clean, disease free mouth has few bacteria.
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