“Did you brush your teeth today ??”

I think you will ask this question to yourself & your family daily.

When you know that bad oral hygiene will drive you to heart disease, many of us may change his opinion.

Simply, people who don’t brush their teeth regularly will start with inflammation of their gums “Gingivitis“.

If this situation continues, a chronic inflammation occurs “Periodontal Disease“ with a bleeding gum.

Bleeding gum is a great risk factor, as it provides an entry to the blood stream for 700 different types of bacteria.

Streptococcus gordonii and Streptococcus sanguinis are two common infecting agents.

After they reach the blood stream, they bind with blood platelets, this creates two problems:

First: If we use an oral antibiotic to kill oral bacteria thus preventing them from reaching the blood stream, by time bacteria become resistant.

Second: The binding of bacteria with platelets encases them & shields bacteria from our immune system till they reach the heart causing heart diseases.

So, if we prevent the binding between bacteria & platelets, this will help our immune system kill bacteria & protect our heart.

“We are currently in the process of identifying the exact site at which the bacteria stick to the platelets” said Professor Howard Jenkinson. “Once this is identified we will design a new drug to prevent this interaction.”

Source: Bristol University news.

Image credits: Periodontal Disease

Image credits: Professor Howard Jenkinson