Periodontal health linked to heart attacks

Speaking to University of Michigan News, Romesh Nalliah co-author and associate dean of patient services in the University of Michigan School of Dentistry said, “After controlling for several factors, the periodontal care group had higher odds of having post-hospital visits.

“Dentistry is often practiced in isolation from overall health care. Our results add weight to the evidence that medical and dental health are closely interrelated. More and more studies like ours are showing that it is a mistake to practice medicine without the thoughtful consideration of the patient’s oral health.”

The patients were selected using MarketScan database. Of these:

Romesh hopes that if there is communication between medial and dental professionals will “help with early intervention” to ensure “stable periodontal health in patients who have risk factors for heart disease.”