Experts announced this week, through a statement by the American Heart Association that there is no convincing evidence linking gum disease that goes untreated with stroke or heart disease. There is also no strong evidence saying that treating gum disease will reduce your risk of stroke or heart disease. For over 100 years, it was thought that gum disease could eventually help lead to cardiovascular disease, which is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. However, extensive research found no link between the two.
Dr. Peter Lockhart, a dentist and professor in Charlotte, North Carolina at Carolina Medical Center said, “The statement says that current science is unable to support a causative association or direct association between the two.”
The report has taken three year to produce and was published in Circulation.
Some type of gum disease can be found in the mouths of many American adults. The symptoms can be redness and mild swelling to periodontitis, when the gums separate from teeth and form pockets that can become infected.
Stroke, heart disease and gum disease all produce a form of inflammation in the human body. All three conditions share certain risk factors like diabetes, age, and cigarette smoking, which is why many times they develop in the same person. Nevertheless, the group that studied literature on gum and cardiovascular disease that covered 61 years did not feel enough evidence was present to say stroke or heart disease could be caused by gum disease.
