User:Evb013/sandbox

There are many negative problems that result from not maintaining proper oral hygiene. Not brushing your teeth properly causes harmful bacteria to build up on your teeth and gums. Robert H. Shmerling, a professor at Harvard Medical School and his group of researchers conducted an experiment called “Oral health and later coronary heart disease: Cohort study of one million people” In this experiment, it was concluded that bacteria growing in your mouth, can infect your gums and it can then travel into your blood vessels. When this gingivitis and periodontitis bacteria moves into your blood vessels, it causes inflation and damage to vessels. It clogs blood vessels, making it hard for blood to flow and can lead to blood clots, heart attacks, and strokes. Although the study at Harvard Medical School have observed “remnants of oral bacteria within atherosclerotic blood vessels far from the mouth”, there are other factors like gender, alcohol consumption, diabetes, exercise, smoking, and family history of heart problems could increase your risk of coronary artery disease as well. These factors make it hard to judge how much not brushing your teeth elevates your risk of coronary heart disease but there is a proven correlation between poor oral health and coronary heart disease. 173.230.48.23 (talk) 14:15, 2 March 2021 (UTC)

Publishing, Harvard Health. “Gum Disease and the Connection to Heart Disease.” Harvard Health, www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/gum-disease-and-the-connection-to-heart-disease.\