Posted by I am talking about the correlation between the oral microbiome and cardiovascular disease/overall systemic health. My objective is, know the path of blood through the heart and circulatory system
Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory disease which is caused by bacteria in the mouth. Periodontal disease is characterized by inflammation of the gums that can progress if untreated into damaging the bone and connective tissue that support our teeth. This is caused by the sticky bacterial biofilm known as plaque that forms on our teeth and gums. If proper oral hygiene such as brushing and flossing is not being practiced daily the bacteria will harden into calculus and promote the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Over time the bacteria will start to destroy the alveolar bone (bone that supports teeth) and the periodontal ligament (the connective tissue supporting our teeth) like stated previously. One of the most common bacterium that contribute to periodontitis is Porphyromonas gingivalis, it can evade the host immune response and alter the balance of our oral microbiome leading to an unbalanced environment that maintains inflammation. Periodontal disease does not just affect your mouth it has a huge impact on systemic health as well particularly cardiovascular health.
If you have ever been to the dentist for a regular cleaning and they take your blood pressure you may wonder why, well that is because there is a strong link between oral health and cardiovascular disease. Chronic inflammation in the mouth has been found to increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The bacteria that is responsible for periodontitis can enter the bloodstream causing bacterimia this is done by sinply eating, brushing, flossing etc. as it can disrupt the microbiome and if enough inflammation is present it can cause bleeding of the gingiva. Once they enter the bloodstream the bacteria can become opportunistic and trigger inflammatory responses in other tissues surrounding. The immune system will respond to this by releasing cytokines (these promote inflammation to fight pathogens) and activate white blood cells such as neutrophils and eosinophils which can also contribute to inflammation since they release inflammatory chemicals as a response to fight pathogens as well. As the inflammation remains it can start to affect the endothelial lining of the blood vessels. When there is damage to the endothelial lining it makes it easier for low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol to penetrate the arterial wall, once it becomes oxidized it will attract immune cells to the area forming atherosclerotic plaque. This plaque will narrow the arteries and constrict blood flow increasing the risk of endocarditis (inflammation of the lining of the heart) as well as causing a heart attack or stroke. Bacteria such as P. gingivalis has been found in arterial plaque showing there is a relationship between oral health and cardiovascular health. To prevent this see a dental professional such as a dental hygienist who specializes in treating and preventing periodontal disease regularly (typically every 4-6 months) as well as keeping up on good oral hygiene habits at home, such as practicing brushing twice a day and flossing at least once a day.
Sources:
Leishman, S. J., Do, H. L., & Ford, P. J. (2010, December 21). Cardiovascular disease and the role of oral bacteria. Journal of oral microbiology. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3084572/
Hopkins, S., Gajagowni, S., Qadeer, Y., Virani, S. S., Meurman, J. H., Krittanawong, C., & Wang, Z. (2024). Oral Health and Cardiovascular Disease – The American Journal of Medicine. https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(23)00755-6/fulltext
Li, Y., Zhu, M., Liu, Y., Luo, B., Cui, J., Huang, L., Chen, K., & Liu, Y. (2022, November 18). The oral microbiota and cardiometabolic health: A comprehensive review and emerging insights. Frontiers in immunology. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9716288/
There is a strong link between oral and cardiovascular health. Although it doesn’t immediately jump to mind, the cleanliness of your mouth has a real impact on your cardiovascular system. Keeping your mouth healthy keeps your veins, arteries, and heart healthy.
Proper oral hygiene is obviously important for the health of your mouth. This includes your teeth, gums, and the microbiome inside. The connective tissues in your mouth, especially found in your gums, is highly vascularized. Without proper care, bleeding gums are common. This is because of plaque build-up, which provides bacteria like: Porphyromonas gingivalis a comfortable home. Over time Porphyromonas gingivalis will destroy teeth supporting bone and connective tissue, and lead to chronic inflammation of the mouth. This damage leads to the bleeding gums described above, and a direct entry into the bloodstream. This is an important manner in which your oral and cardiovascular health are connected. Once in the bloodstream, the bacteria will further invade the body, causing an immune response and triggering further inflammation in more tissue. This inflammation is an issue because over time it may result in damage to the arterial wall. This damage makes further damage and penetration by cholesterol easier and this results in plaque build-up in your blood vessels. Plaque build-up in your blood vessels results in heart attack or stroke.
It’s for this reason regularly taking blood pressure at the dentist is common. In addition to regular blood pressure readings, dentists offer regular cleaning which can help to prevent these drastic outcomes resulting from lack of brushing and flossing. It is recommended you visit the dentist every 4-6 months for cleaning and check-ins.
Hey Emily!
Your paper talks about Periodontitis and its correlation to cardiovascular disease. Periodontitis is characterized by severe inflammation that is induced by the bacteria in the mouth. If the plaque is not removed from our teeth daily it can cause oral bacteria to become opportunistic and cause systemic disease through bacterima (bacteria present in the blood stream). Eventually the bacteria will cause the bone surrounding to break down and cytokines will cause excess inflammation. A part of your paper that I really loved is “ If you have ever been to the dentist for a regular cleaning and they take your blood pressure you may wonder why, well that is because there is a strong link between oral health and cardiovascular disease. Chronic inflammation in the mouth has been found to increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.” This particularly popped out to me because it gave an example of something that everyone has experienced. Another part of your paper I enjoyed was “As the inflammation remains it can start to affect the endothelial lining of the blood vessels. When there is damage to the endothelial lining it makes it easier for low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol to penetrate the arterial wall, once it becomes oxidized it will attract immune cells to the area forming atherosclerotic plaque. This plaque will narrow the arteries and constrict blood flow increasing the risk of endocarditis (inflammation of the lining of the heart) as well as causing a heart attack or stroke.” Overall I loved your whole project and I think that Periodontitis was a very interesting topic and your paper gave me a lot of new information I did not know before on the topic. I feel that you identified your objective clearly and related back to Periodontitis.