A Toothpaste That Is Almost As Good As Statins

Specially-formulated toothpaste that identified where plaque is on the teeth could help prevent heart attacks. The toothpaste was found to remove twice as much plaque as normal toothpaste. It also helped to reduce inflammation levels by 29%, which is almost the same kind of reduction achieved by statins (37%) that are used to lower cholesterol. Reducing inflammation is important as people who have gum disease have higher rates of coronary heart disease, which can lead to a heart attack. It isn’t clear whether this is because of a direct biological link between the two – for example, that the process of inflammation of the gums directly affects the build-up of plaque in the coronary arteries – or because people who have gum disease are more likely to have unhealthy lifestyle habits, which would directly contribute towards coronary heart disease. Using the toothpaste is a fairly simple thing to do, yet it seems to have a big impact. And there are no side effects that researchers know of. We get the benefit of better oral health and potentially big heart benefits too.