- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Folic Acid Might Offer Allergy Relief
- Traffic, Dust Linked to Asthma in Kids
- Childhood Food Allergies on the Rise
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Acupuncture May Trigger Natural Painkiller
- New Insights Show Ginseng Fights Inflammation
- Garlic Yields Up Its Health Secret
- ANIMAL CARE
- Separation Anxiety, Canine-Style
- Animals Respond to Acupuncture's Healing Touch
- Rest Easy. When It Comes to Swine Flu, Your Pet Is Safe
- BONES & JOINTS
- Yoga Can Ease Lower Back Pain
- Arthritis Hits More Than Half of Diabetics
- Chronic Low Back Pain Is on the Rise
- CANCER
- Hypnosis Cuts Hot Flashes for Breast Cancer Survivors
- Study Cites Gains in Gall Bladder Cancer Treatment
- Mineral May Reduce High-Risk Bladder Disease
- CAREGIVING
- MRSA Infections Spreading to Kids in Community
- Babies Born in High Pollen Months at Wheezing Risk
- Are Hospital Mobile Phones Dialing Up Superbugs?
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Bye, Bye Back Fat?
- Varicose Veins May Mask Larger Problem
- Walk 100 Steps a Minute for 'Moderate' Exercise
- COSMETIC
- Contact Lenses Boost Kids' Self-Image
- With Psoriasis, the Internet May Offer Hope
- The Acne Drug Accutane More Than Doubles Depression Risk
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Dental Implants Need More Work Than Root Canals
- Rheumatoid Arthritis May Harm Gums
- A Sweet Way to Shield Baby's Teeth
- DIABETES
- Vitamin K Slows Insulin Resistance in Older Men
- Americans Consuming More Sugary Beverages
- Exercise Protects Black Women From Type 2 Diabetes
- DIET, NUTRITION
- Fatty Acid in Olive Oil Wards Off Hunger
- Myrrh May Lower High Cholesterol
- Pesticides and How to Affordably Eat Organic or Reduce Pesticide Consumption
- DISABILITIES
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Ozone-Depleting Inhalers Being Phased Out
- Artificial Light Linked to Prostate Cancer Risk
- Skin Woes Take Toll on U.S. Combat Troops
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Decorative Halloween Eye Lenses May Pose Serious Risks
- Unconscious Learning: In the Eye of the Beholder?
- Clues Found to Brain Mechanism Behind Migraines
- FITNESS
- Research Confirms How Valuable A Healthy Lifestyle Can Be
- Study Shows Exercise Shields Against Osteoporosis
- Bursts of Vigorous Activity Appear to Be a 'Stress-Buffer'
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- Traditional Nonsurgical GERD Treatments Not Impressive
- Japanese Herbals May Ease Gastro Woes
- Bowel Prep Harder on Women Than Men
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Swine Flu Loves a Crowd
- Swine Flu Now Reported in All 50 States
- Toxins May Form When Skin, Indoor Ozone Meet
- HEAD & NECK
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- Save Your Aging Brain, Try Surfing The Web
- Study Suggests Link Between Cell Phones and Brain Tumors
- Magnet Therapy May Ease Hard-to-Treat Depression
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Fructose Boosts Blood Pressure, Studies Find
- Coffee Is Generally Heart-Friendly
- Too Much Red Meat May Shorten Life Span
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Swine Flu Closes Three Schools in NYC
- Older Adults May Have Some Immunity to Swine Flu
- Swine Flu Loves a Crowd
- KID'S HEALTH
- Traffic Seems to Make Kids' Asthma Worse
- Mom and Baby Alike May Benefit From Exercise
- Help Your Kids Stay Active
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Sunlight May Help Protect Men From Kidney Cancer
- Exercise May Prevent Prostate Cancer: Study Shows
- Physical Activity May Prolong Survival After Colon Cancer
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Most Depressed Teens Don't Get Treatment
- Fear Response May Stem From Protein in Brain
- Meaningful Conversations Boost Kids' Language Skills
- PREGNANCY
- Expectant Mom's Exercise Keeps Newborn's Birth Weight Down
- Obesity May Affect Fertility in Young Womene
- Yoga's Benefits Outweigh Risks for Pregnant Women
- SENIORS
- Seniors Cope With Sleep Loss Better Than Young Adults
- Fitness Fades Fast After 45
- Memory Loss Help from Brain Supplement Prevagen
An Oral Approach to Heart Disease
By Ed Edelson Published: 09/11/2008
THURSDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Irish researchers are trying to develop a new way of attacking heart disease -- through the mouth.
"We are trying to understand the mechanisms by which oral bacteria colonies can lead to cardiovascular disease," said Steve Kerrigan of the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, and the principal investigator in a group that will report on the effort Thursday at the Society for General Microbiology meeting in Dublin.
People with poor dental hygiene, especially those with bleeding gums, are prey to more than 700 different types of oral bacteria, Kerrigan noted. "When those bacteria get into the bloodstream, they interact with platelets, the blood cells that can clump. The bacteria can cause them to clump together to form clots that can partially block blood vessels," he said.
Kerrigan and his colleagues, including Dr. Howard F. Jenkinson of the University of Bristol, have been investigating the cell surface proteins that allow bacteria to interact with cell platelets.
"We are trying to find new drugs that prevent this interaction," Kerrigan said. "The treatment now for this condition is aggressive antibiotic treatment. With all the controversy about antibiotic-resistant bacteria that is emerging, it would be best not to use antibiotics. If we find the ways the bacteria are causing the platelets to clump, it would be a new treatment target."
Analysis of the genes of streptococci often found in the mouth has identified a number of proteins responsible for the adherence of bacteria to platelets, Kerrigan said. "We have a few targets that we are researching just now," he said. "We have some good leads at the moment, and are trying to refine what we have found."
While "there is no definitive study that shows a cause-and-effect relationship between periodontal disease and heart disease," said Sally Cram, a Washington, D.C. periodontist who is a consumer adviser to the American Dental Association, "we have a number of studies coming out that indicate a strong relationship between infection in the mouth and gums and other things in your health, such as diabetes and heart disease."
Even although the case may not be completely proven, she added, "I tell my patients that, given that periodontal disease is preventable by doing certain things that take five minutes a day, it is worth doing those things."
Cram's recommendations are standard: brush twice a day, floss once a day, see a dentist regularly or when signs of trouble appear.
"Especially if there is a family history of heart disease or diabetes, it makes common sense to help prevent gum disease," she said.
Good oral hygiene is a necessity because bacteria easily get into the bloodstream from the mouth, from routine activities such as chewing and from tooth brushing, said Peter Lockhart, chairman of the department of oral medicine at the Carolinas Medical Center, in Charlotte, N.C.
Earlier this year, Lockhart published a study of 290 dental patients showing that bacteria could be detected in 23 percent of them after tooth brushing, compared to 30 percent when a tooth was pulled after the patient took an antibiotic and 60 percent when no antibiotic was taken.
So oral hygiene is "a much more appropriate focus for prevention of endocarditis," infection of the lining of the heart or a heart valve, Lockhart said.
- Ed Edelson
More information
Learn about periodontal disease and its prevention from the American Dental Association.
SOURCES: Steve Kerrigan, Ph.D., principal investigator, Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin; Sally Cram, D.D.S., periodontist, Washington D.C.; Peter Lockhart, chairman, oral medicine, Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, N.C; Sept. 10, 2008, presentation, Society for General Microbiology, Dublin, Ireland
Last Updated: Sept. 11, 2008
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