Author: Rachel
Researchers report this week that older adults who have higher proportions of four periodontal-disease-causing bacteria inhabiting their mouths also tend to have thicker carotid arteries, a strong predictor of stroke and heart attack.
An investigative team of researchers from the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis) and Columbia University (New York City) presented their findings today at the 83rd General Session of the International Association for Dental Research, convening at the Baltimore Convention Center. As first reported in the journal Circulation, this is the first report of a direct association between cardiovascular disease and bacteria involved in periodontal disease, inflammation of the gums that affects an estimated 200 million Americans to various degrees.
They will re-examine the same group in less than three years, to evaluate the progression of atherosclerosis (heart disease). They measured both diseased and healthy sites for the presence of 11 oral bacteria–four widely regarded to be involved in causing periodontal disease, and the other seven serving as controls. Then, for evaluation of their cardiovascular health, the participants received a carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) measurement and provided a blood sample to determine their C-reactive protein levels.
The scientists found that the higher the levels of the periodontal-disease-causing bacteria, the more likely people were to have thicker carotid arteries
Periodontal bacteria have often been thought to play a role in many of the possible connections between oral health and overall health. Two of the studies in this month’s issue of the JOP further the understanding of these potential connections. One study looked at patients who had been diagnosed with coronary artery disease and examined the bacteria found in their arteries. They were able to identify periodontal pathogens in the coronary and internal mammary arteries in 9 out of 15 of the patients examined.
A second study looked at women who had suffered from preeclampsia during their pregnancy, a condition characterized by an abrupt rise in blood pressure that affects about 5% of pregnancies. The study found that 50% of the placentas from women with preeclampsia were positive for one or more periodontal pathogens. This was compared to just 14.3% in the control group. Both of these studies support the concept that periodontal organisms might be associated with the development of other systemic conditions such as coronary artery disease and preeclampsia.
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