Inflamed gum tissue may allow bacteria in the mouth to enter the bloodstream, which could affect the heart
By Sonali Roy
10 April 2024
Regular dental check-ups can prevent gum disease
Alexander Shelegov/Getty Images
Treating gum disease after a procedure to correct an irregular and abnormally fast heart rate may lower the risk of the cardiac condition reoccurring.
The disorder, known as atrial fibrillation, involves an irregular heartbeat and can increase the risk of stroke and even heart failure. In advanced cases, it can be treated via catheter ablation, a procedure that very carefully destroys a damaged area of the heart that is interrupting its electrical circuits.
Now, Shunsuke Miyauchi at Hiroshima University in Japan and his colleagues have shown that gum disease may be a risk factor for atrial fibrillation.
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The team enrolled 288 people who all had gum disease and underwent ablation to treat atrial fibrillation. Of these, 97 received treatment for their gum disease up to three months later.
In a follow-up period lasting up to two years, 24 per cent of the participants experienced atrial fibrillation again, but this was 61 per cent less likely to occur among those whose gum disease was treated after ablation.