The World Health Organization reports that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and there is a proven link between cardiovascular disease and periodontal disease. A recent study conducted by a team from Osaka University Hospital (Japan) found that the timing of tooth brushing affects the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. It turns out that the most important brushing of teeth is evening brushing, which is essential for preserving teeth.
The study included 1,583 patients aged 20 years or older who were hospitalized for surgery, medical treatment or testing. They found that participants who brushed their teeth both morning and evening, and those who brushed their teeth only in the evening, had higher cardiovascular disease survival estimates compared to those who did not brush their teeth at all. In addition, smokers who did not brush their teeth had a worse prognosis for developing cardiovascular events than smokers who brushed their teeth either only in the morning, only in the evening, or both morning and evening; and nonsmokers who didn't brush their teeth or who only brushed their teeth in the morning also had a worse prognosis.
The researchers concluded that brushing your teeth at night is important for reducing the risk of heart disease. They hypothesized that increased intraoral bacterial load during sleep due to decreased salivary production may cause periodontal disease or dental caries by spreading oral bacteria into the gut and bloodstream, thereby negatively impacting overall health and promoting cardiovascular disease. However, the authors recommended a multicenter study with a longer follow-up period to generalize the study results and examine the mechanism underlying the observed relationship between toothbrushing time and cardiovascular disease risk.
Although the study results are limited to hospitalized patients and cannot be generalized to the healthy population, they highlight the importance of proper and timely brushing of teeth to maintain good oral and overall health. The study highlights the importance of increasing awareness in the general population about proper dental care to potentially prevent cardiovascular disease.