At the heart of the matter

We all know that oral and heart health are linked. There has been much research on the topic over the years, though more is needed to determine the exact mechanisms involved. I was interested to read recently about how a mouth rinse could be used to assess a patient’s risk of heart problems.

The concept is based on a study that explored the oral inflammatory load and whether this could predict vascular function in young adults. The cross-sectional and correlational analysis looked at 28 systemically healthy 18 to 30-year-olds. Mouth rinse samples were collected from each participant and tested for oral neutrophils – white blood cells – which are a validated measure of oral inflammatory load. Researchers also tested participants for blood pressure, arterial stiffness and endothelial function (brachial artery flow-mediated dilation), which is a known early risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD).