In previous blogs I have reported on the studies that link heart disease and gum disease. A new report has just been published in the prestigious Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Honestly, as an Encino family dentist that is not one of the journals I read. However I did come across a brief excerpt that I wanted to pass along.
In this case 83 people were given a statin such as Lipitor for 12 weeks. The patients on a small dose had a small reduction in gum inflation. Patients on a large dose of statins had the most improvement in their gum disease. The more severe the gum disease the greater the improvement with higher dose statins.
Statins have many effects throughout the body but are well known as inflammation reducers. Many studies have shown inflammation in the hearts arterial walls is reduced when it is taken. According to this study so is the inflation in the gums. Sounds like a link to me.
I concluded that this information adds to the evidence that there is a relationship between the inflammation in the coronary arteries and the inflammation and the gums. I bring this up in hopes that more people will pay more attention to the importance of healthy gums. That is my goal. For me as a family dentist in Encino, “Hope springs eternal”.
Tip of the day: Does your dentist measure the depth of the crevices between the tooth and gum. Does he look for bleeding? Is this done every 6 months? If the answer is yes, that is great. If the answer is no, my phone number is (818) 385-3681.
Allan Melnick, D.D.S.
