Brushing helps more than your teeth - may help to prevent stroke and arteriosclerosis - Brief Article

Vibrant Life, Nov-Dec, 2003

You've heard for years that brushing after meals is good for your teeth. But now comes additional research that shows bad dental hygiene can cause other health problems, too.

New research has shown that strokes are up to 60 percent more likely to occur in older adults who have lost 10 to 19 teeth when compared with People who have lost fewer teeth. In theory, bacteria residing in the gums because of poor dental-care habits could lead to a variety of chemical events in your body, and eventually cause inflammation in the body. And inflammation is a leading contributor to arteriosclerosis.

(Stroke)