PERIODONTAL AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES RELATIONSHIPS

Bellevue Dentist Discusses Periodontal Disease Correlation with Cardiovascular Disease

Periodontal Disease (gum disease) has been demonstrated to have a strong relationship to cardiovascular disease with an increased prevalence of coronary artery disease in patients with serious gum disease. Several studies have indicated a very strong link between the presence of these two diseases in a patient. Atherosclerosis, exhibiting an increased thickness in the carotid artery wall, which can lead to cardiovascular disease also has often been reported in people with cardiovascular disease. In our Bellevue Dentist Office, we encourage patients with periodontal problems to actively keep up their treatments on a regular basis. According to American Dental Association guidelines, any patient with gum disease needs to be seem multiple times per year on a periodontal maintenance regime.

It should be pointed out that although various studies suggest that there is a strong correlation among people with a history of periodontal disease toward a higher risk for cardiovascular disease, there is not any clear evidence of a causative role between these two disease conditions. However, because of the high correlation and relationship between periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease, known cardiovascular patients should optimize their periodontal care. There are different options that may be useful in correcting periodontal disease, including regular visits to a dental hygienist, such as our Bellevue Dentistry hygienists, to have periodontal scaling and root planning performed and in some cases to have pharmacological therapy performed.

Inflammation is believed to be a major factor related to both periodontitis and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Pharmacologic therapy can be effective in treating periodontal disease because it is a bacterially induced chronic inflammatory disease. The progression of periodontal disease depends on a variety things, including environmental and genetic factors. Additional factors that have an influence on these two diseases include smoking, diabetes, obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, major depression, physical inactivity, older age, male gender, and family history of disease. Moderate to severe forms of periodontitis are associated with increased systemic inflammation, which can be present from the very early stages of atherosclerosis and can continue to play a role in subsequent cardiovascular complications. Consequently, the incidence of cardiovascular events, such as myocardial infarction, is increased in the presence of chronic inflammatory conditions, including peridontal disease. Bacterial infection also may be another direct link between periodontal and cardiovascular diseases, because the same species of gram-negative anaerobic bacteria that are found in periodontally diseased pockets around the teeth are the same as those found in atherosclerotic plaques in arteries.

Regular visits to your dentist can help prevent and control periodontal disease. People without periodontal disease should visit their dentist twice a year for check ups and routine tooth cleanings. If periodontal disease is detected, then dental visits will be need to made once every 4-months to control the disease. In advanced cases of gum disease, it may be necessary to visit your dentist every 3-months. For patients with advanced periodontal disease, their care might require being under the partial or total supervision of specialist called a periodontist rather than just a general dentist. In our Bellevue Cosmetic Dentist Office, we often have patients with advanced periodontal disease alternate their visits between our office twice per year with visits to a specialist periodontist twice per year.

Origin of the Toothbrush

ORIGIN OF THE TOOTHBRUSH

The first toothbrush used by ancients was the “chew stick” a pencil size twig with one end frayed to a soft fibrous like brush. Chew sticks were initially rubbed against the teeth with no toothpaste, and have been found in Egyptian tombs dating to 3000 BC and back to 3500 BC, where Babylonians also used “chewing sticks”. Additionally, there is mention of primitive toothpicks being chewed to clean the teeth and mouth in ancient Rome and Greece. Toothpicks matured into the chew stick which was about the size of a modern pencil. One end was chewed to soften it into a brush-like fiber, while the opposite end was pointed and used to pick food and debris from between the teeth. The twigs were chosen from aromatic trees that had the ability to clean and freshen the mouth.

Chew sticks are still used in some parts of the world. Many African tribes fray twigs from special trees. The American Dental Assoc discovered that frayed sticks often serve as tooth brushes for people living in remote areas of the United States, and can be every bit as effective as a modern toothbrush. They reported on one elderly man living in Louisiana who had used frayed elm sticks all his life and had plaque free teeth and healthy gums. Now that is truly amazing in the modern era.

The first bristle toothbrush, similar to those used today, had its origin in China around 1498. The bristles were taken from the backs of hog necks living in the cold climates of Siberia and China (cold weather causes them to grow bristles) and fastened them to handles made of bamboo or bone. Traders to the Orient introduced this brush to the Europeans, who found the hog bristles too firm and uncomfortable. At that time those Europeans who did brush their teeth, which wasn’t a common thing, preferred horsehair toothbrushes.

The father of modern dentistry is Dr Pierre Fauchard, who in his 1793 dental textbook was critical of the ineffectiveness of horsehair bristles and of the large proportion of Europe that didn’t use any kind of tooth cleaning device at all. Dr Fauchard recommended daily rubbing of the teeth with a piece of natural sponge. Other animal hair used in toothbrushes included badger hair, but many preferred to pick their teeth clean with a stiff quill or feather, while some had a brass toothpick. The metal toothpicks were less of a human health hazard than the natural hairbrushes. Once Louis Pasteur discussed his theory on germs, the dental profession realized that all animal hair retains moisture, which promotes fungal and bacterial growth. But the ultimate solution didn’t arrive until 1938, when nylon bristle brushes were invented in the USA. Dupont de Nemours placed “Doctor West’s Miracle Toothbrush”, on sale as the first nylon February 24, 1938. Today we have all types of toothbrushes for every occasion: electric, travel, baby, and pet toothbrushes.