A team at Great Ormond Street Hospital has been working with the Department of Oral Health at the University of Connecticut and the Eastman Dental Institute at University College London to study the relationship between periodontitis (gum disease) and heart disease.
In one study, 120 patients with severe periodontitis (gum disease) were recruited. Half were given intensive treatment and the remainder received 'normal' gum care. All were examined using flow mediated dilatation (FMD) and other measures of inflammation immediately after treatment commenced, then again after one week, one month, two months and six months.
The results were significant. They showed that the endothelial function of those receiving intensive treatment immediately became worse, and they also showed signs of systemic inflammation. However, after two months their improved oral health was associated with a significant improvement in their endothelial function.
It has been known for some time that inflammation plays a role in the development of atherosclerosis and subsequent cardiovascular disease. Similarly, gum disease is associated with inflammation (a reaction of the body to fight disease). However, this was the first time research had shown that reducing the gum disease, and hence the inflammation, could cause such rapid improvement in the functioning of the arteries, and so help to prevent the onset of cardiovascular disease.
The results of this study were published in a paper in The New England Journal of Medicine in February 2007.