By Dr. Joseph D. Lim
There is danger lurking in your gums, new research from Hiroshima University shows.
It’s the bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) that causes gum disease, according to the study published in the medical journal Circulation.
The bacterium can travel in the bloodstream and enter the heart where it can cause atrial fibrillation (AFib), a heart rhythm disorder that can potentially cause stroke.
It’s long been observed that those with gum disease called periodontitis have a 30 percent chance of getting AFib. About 60 million people worldwide currently suffer from AFib.
P. gingivalis has been observed in the placenta, liver and brain, but doctors have not been sure how it reaches the heart.
The University of Hiroshima study shows that P. gingivalis in the gums can actually find its way into the heart.
The causal link is still unknown but the bacteria pathway through the bloodstream may show the way, says Shunsuke Miyauchi, assistant professor at the university’s Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences.
What the study does is to connect how P. gingivalis, the most infectious among gum bacteria that cause gum disease, goes out of the mouth, he points out.
Intracardiac stimulation, which measures irregular rhythm in the heartbeat, found that mice exposed to the bacterium were six times more likely to develop abnormal heart rhythms. Not only that: The study found that the bacterium turned tissue stiff and fibrous in the heart’s left atrium.
In a separate study, this time on 68 AFib patients who underwent heart surgery, P. gingivalis was also found in greater amounts in people with severe gum disease.
The findings suggest that brushing, flossing and regular dental checkups might do more than promote oral hygiene, they could also help protect the heart. Keeping gums healthy could block the gateway for a P. gingivalis invasion.
P. gingivalis travels from gum lesions to the circulatory system and reaches the heart’s left atrium where it worsens atrial fibrosis that may raise the chances of getting AFib, says Dr. Miyauchi, the study’s first author. Gum treatment can block the gateway of P. gingivalis and help prevent AFib, he points out.
This is why the researchers are encouraging greater collaboration between medical and dental professionals in Hiroshima Prefecture to improve heart care and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, including atrial fibrillation.
Other co-authors in Hiroshima University’s School of Dentistry are Miki Kawada-Matsuo and Hitoshi Komatsuzawa from the Department of Bacteriology; Hisako Furusho, Ayako Nakajima, Pham Trong Phat, Masae Kitagawa, and Mutsumi Miyauchi from the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathobiology; and Kazuhisa Ouhara from the Department of Periodontal Medicine; Hiroshima University Hospital’s Hiromi Nishi and Hiroyuki Kawaguchi from the Department of General Dentistry, Noboru Oda, Takehito Tokuyama, Yousaku Okubo, Sho Okamura, and Yukiko Nakano from the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine; and Toru Hiyama from the Division of General Medicine; HU Collaborative Research Laboratory of Oral Inflammation Regulation’s Fumie Shiba; and HU School of Medicine’s Taiichi Takasaki and Shinya Takahashi from the Department of Surgery.
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Dr. Joseph D. Lim, Ed. D., is the former Associate Dean of the College of Dentistry, University of the East; former Dean, College of Dentistry, National University; Past President and Honorary Fellow of the Asian Oral Implant Academy; Honorary Fellow of the Japan College of Oral Implantologists; Honorary Life Member of the Thai Association of Dental Implantology; and Founding Chairman of the Philippine College of Oral Implantologists. For questions on dental health, e-mail jdlim2008@gmail.com or text 0917-8591515.
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Dr. Kenneth Lester Lim, BS-MMG, DDM, MSc-OI, graduated Doctor of Dental Medicine, University of the Philippines, College of Dentistry, Manila, 2011; Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management, De La Salle University, Manila, 2002; and Master of Science (MSc.) in Oral Implantology, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany, 2019. He is an Associate Professor; Fellow, International Congress of Oral Implantologists; and Fellow, Philippine College of Oral Implantologists. For questions on dental health, e-mail limdentalcenter@gmail.com./WDJ