Friday 19 November 2010
Oral hygiene and heart disease- North Boulder Dental donates 100 toothbrushes
Thanks to doctors Dr. Bob Murphy, Dr. Paul A. Sica, Dr. Julie Brown, Dr. David Weldon of North Boulder Dental for donating 100 toothbrushes! These will be distributed in a workshop in Yapatera to educate the community about the link between oral hygiene and heart disease. A recent study published in the British Medical Journal reported on by the BBC shows that "Taking into account factors that affect heart disease risk, such as social class, obesity, smoking and family history... those with the worst oral hygiene had a 70% increased chance of developing the (cardiovascular) condition compared with those who brush their teeth twice a day." This is because poor dental hygiene can lead to periodontal disease, a chronic infection of the tissue surrounding the teeth which has an important role in the build up of clogged arteries, which can lead to a heart attack.