According to new research out of Finland’s Tampere University, your mouth might be harboring microbial assassins that target your heart.
In a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, researchers analyzed arterial plaque from more than 200 people with coronary artery disease. What they found lurking inside was DNA from common oral bacteria, specifically viridans group streptococci, occupying space within the arteries.
These bacteria are usually the types your dentist yells at you about during your biannual mouth torture session. But now it turns out they may be playing a supporting role in the kind of heart attack that kills you instantly.
In a press release published on Tampere University’s website, study lead Dr. Pekka Karhunen states that it has long been suspected that mouth bacteria may be involved in coronary artery disease. His team’s study has finally found oral bacteria within heart arteries.
Your Gross Mouth Could Be the Reason Your Heart’s in Trouble
Karhunen and his team used some next level techniques in their research, like polymerase chain reaction (a medical test that detects and copies genetic material from a blood, saliva, or tissue sample to diagnose illnesses), immunohistochemistry (a diagnostic test that uses antibodies to find antigens in tissue samples), and transcriptomics (tests that study and organisms RNA transcripts) to examine plaque samples.
They found that oral bacteria were present in just over 42 percent of the samples from both patients who died suddenly and those who had undergone surgery. The microbes were found buried deep into the core of the arterial plaques, forming a rigid biofilm, which could trigger a heart attack if inflamed, and all that takes is just a little bit of stress, a viral infection, or even something as simple as eating poorly.
The inflammation ruptures the plaque, cutting off oxygen to the heart, and you’re left with a fatal cardiac event.
As for what all this means for you, brush and floss like your life depends on it because it does. It’s not just crucial for your oral health and your sexual prospects out on the dating scene. Not properly cleaning your teeth could have long-term ramifications that might all culminate in a massive heart attack, which transitions you from alive to dead in a matter of seconds, long before anyone around you even gets the chance to dial 9-1-1.
If you want to ensure that your ticker stays clean, don’t only focus on the things you eat but on how you brush all of its debris out of your mouth when you’re done chewing.
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