Stroke linked with gum disease
3 November, 2000
Looking after your teeth has been given new importance thanks to a study from the State University of New York in Buffalo, which links gum disease (periodontitis) with the risk of stroke.
Stroke results from the interruption of blood flow to parts of the brain, which cuts off the oxygen supply to tissue and causes the brain cells to die. The National Stroke Foundation in Australia estimates that, each year, more than 40,000 Australians experience a stroke, making it the third largest cause of death in Australia after cancer and heart disease.
The US study, reported in the October 9 2000 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, involved nearly 10,000 participants between the ages of 24 to 74. The participants were categorised into 4 stages of periodontal disease: no disease present; gingivitis; periodontitis; and edentulousness (without teeth).
Participants were then assessed later to see who had had strokes (cerebrovascular accidents), both those resulting in death and those not.
The researchers found that periodontitis was an important risk factor for stroke, in particular non-haemorrhagic stroke.
Gum disease, which is already identified as a possible risk factor for coronary heart disease, is a common problem that can result in the loss of teeth. Gingivitis and periodontitis are 2 of the most common types of gum disease.
Gingivitis occurs at the start of gum disease and shows as bleeding and swollen gums, but it is treatable and reversible. If gingivitis is left untreated, periodontitis (damage to the teeth’s supportive bone structures) may result.
In light of this information, your dental health might be more important than you think.
Last Reviewed: 03 April 2001
- 1. Arch Intern Med 2000; 160 (18): 2749-55.
2. National Stroke Foundation
