Does Oral Health Correspond to Heart Disease?

Heart disease may begin in your mouth, say researchers at Columbia University Medical Center. In a study of 657 healthy adults, they took samples of oral plague and measured carotid artery thickness, an indication of atherosclerosis. What they found: Those with the highest levels of bacteria that cause gum disease had the thickest arteries. Previous research has suggested a link between oral health and heart disease, but this is the first study to go inside the mouth and actually measure the amount of bacteria. The mouth may be a window to what's happening in your body, say's study author Moise Desvarieux, an epidemiologist.