The study, conducted by the UB Periodontal Disease Research Center and the UB Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, involved 655 men aged 25-74. Investigators created an index of dental diseases, assigned an index score to study participants after examining their teeth and gums, and compared the index with their history of heart disease. They found that men who had a high dental-disease index also had more cardiovascular disease.

Results of the study were presented on March 14 at the annual meeting of the International Association for Dental Research in San Francisco.

"We are not saying to men that if you have gum disease, you are going to have a heart attack," said Sara G. Grossi, UB clinical assistant professor of oral biology and clinical director of the research center. "We are saying that in the presence of other risk factors for heart disease, such as smoking or high blood pressure, gum disease is an indicator of future problems. This indicator of risk has just recently been recognized.

"Dentists who find high levels of periodontal disease and dental caries in their male patients who are older than 45 and smoke should advise them to get a cardiovascular assessment," she said.

Researchers developed the dental-disease index based on the amount of gum detachment from bone, amount of bone loss, the presence of bacteria associated with periodontal disease and the number of decayed, missing or filled teeth.

Participants also completed a medical questionnaire, on which they reported their incidence of angina, myocardial infarction, stroke or arteriosclerosis, as well as their smoking history.

Relating the dental-disease index to history of heart disease, researchers found that the dental-disease index was significantly associated with cardiovascular disease, independent of possible confounding effects of age, education and smoking.

Grossi said the relationship is probably greater than this study implies, because the incidence of heart disease was self-reported, and people often aren't aware they have heart problems.

The culprits in this relationship are the oral bacteria that cause periodontal disease. "Bacteria from the mouth can enter the blood stream, clump platelets and then block arteries," she stated.

The research was supported in part by grants from the National Institute for Dental Research.