Gum disease 'does not cause heart trouble' : Any link 'coincidental', say scientists

By Daily Mail Reporter 19 April 2012 The belief that gum disease can lead to heart attacks and strokes is unfounded, experts said yesterday. A panel of 13 U.S. scientists insisted there was no evidence for a causal link between bad gums and cardiovascular disease. They reviewed 500 articles in scientific journals and concluded that while people with gum disease may be at greater risk of heart and artery problems, the association is probably coincidental. Both conditions shared common risk factors, such as smoking, and both produced similar inflammation markers. Those common factors could help explain why diseases of the blood vessels and mouth can occur in tandem. Research has shown that people with gum disease are almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery disease as those without gum disease. 'Much of the literature is conflicting, but if there was a strong causative link, we would likely know that by now,' said Professor Peter Lockhart, co-chairman of the expert panel and chairman of oral medicine at the Carolinas Medical Centre in Charlotte, North Carolina. 'There's a lot of confusion out there.'..............