Results showed that the heart-attack patients were heavily infected with all bacteria types, but that the risk of heart attack was related significantly only to three types: B. forsythus, P. gingivalis and C. recta., organsims thought to cause periodontal disease in adults. (Not all oral bacteria cause periodontal disease.)
Depending on the bacterial concentration, the increased risk of heart attack in persons with one or another of these bacteria ranged from 200-300 percent, compared to people with no evidence of the bacteria, Genco said.
In a separate but related study, UB dental researchers analyzed records of a random sample of 225 men treated as outpatients at the Veteran's Affairs Medical Center in Buffalo, N.Y., to assess the association between their dental and cardiovascular health. Dental records were compared with diagnoses of coronary-artery disease, congestive heart failure, angina, atrial fibrillation, myocardial infarction or mitral-valve prolapse in both groups.
Results showed that patients with moderate or advanced periodontal disease had a greater prevalence of cardiovascular disease than patients with no periodontal disease, gingivitis or early periodontitis. The study adds more evidence for a connection between oral health and systemic disease.
The periodontal bacteria study was supported by grants from the U.S. Public Health Service. Additional UB researchers were Tiejian Wu, Ph.D.; Karen Faulkner, Ph.D., and Maurizio Trevisan, M.D., from the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; and Sara Grossi, D.D.S., and Joseph J. Zambon, D.D.S., Ph.D., from the Department of Oral Biology, School of Dental Medicine.
The outpatient study was conducted by Guy DiTursi, D.D.S., UB clinical
instructor of oral diagnostic sciences; James Katancik, D.D.S., for
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Contact: Lois Baker
ljbaker@buffalo.edu
716-645-2626
University at Buffalo
12-Mar-1999