It has been confirmed at Hiroshima University in Japan that heart disease is strongly linked to oral hygiene. The idea of there being a correlation between the two has been debated in the past but the university study has proved there is a link.

According to the brain boffins of Hiroshima your chances of falling prey to a heart stroke are greatly increased if you have less than 24 teeth – almost 60% greater in fact – and are aged around 50 to 60.

The study was taken on 358 participants, all of whom were aged around 50 or 60 and strongly showed that those with 24 teeth or less had a 57% greater chance of having a heart stroke. Tooth loss is largely caused by gum disease and these finding have proved that those who regularly suffer from gum disease are at a much greater risk of heart problems as well as oral health problems, especially at an older age.

The doctors behind the research also discovered some other concerning issues while conducting the study. A large number of the people involved in the research had first begun to lose teeth around the age of 40, and given that the ages of those involved was between 50 and 60, many of the researchers expressed concern at the potential health problems and issues this entailed.

As well as the link to oral health, doctors are also emphasising the need to be aware of the effect of smoking, alcohol and obesity on the health of the heart and general healthy living is heavily encouraged to keep the heart in good condition and to avoid strokes and other heart diseases.