Doctors & patients are saying about 'A-Fib.com'...
"A-Fib.com is a great web site for patients, that is unequaled by anything else out there."
Dr. Douglas L. Packer, MD, FHRS, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
"Jill and I put you and your work in our prayers every night. What you do to help people through this [A-Fib] process is really incredible."
Jill and Steve Douglas, East Troy, WI
“I really appreciate all the information on your website as it allows me to be a better informed patient and to know what questions to ask my EP.
Faye Spencer, Boise, ID, April 2017
“I think your site has helped a lot of patients.”Dr. Hugh G. Calkins, MD Johns Hopkins,
Baltimore, MD
Brush & Floss! Is Oral Hygiene Linked to A-Fib?
Warren Welsh, from Australia, answers ‘Yes’ to that oral hygiene question. He wrote me about how he developed bleeding gums and felt it contributed to his Atrial Fibrillation diagnosis. (A 2010 catheter ablation made him A-Fib free. Read Warren’s story.)
Brush and floss regularly we were taught as kids, but who knew that oral hygiene is linked with A-Fib?
Dental Cleanings and New-Onset A-Fib
A study in Taiwan compared a group without A-Fib who received dental cleaning at least once a year to a similar group who didn’t. Both groups were followed for five years. The regular dental cleanings group had a lower occurrence rate of new-onset A-Fib.
More frequent dental visits (2-3 times a year) further reduced the risk.
Good Oral Hygiene Reduces Inflammation
Studies have shown that inflammation is an independent risk factor both for the initiation of A-Fib and its continuation once you have it.
Good oral hygiene prevents A-Fib, probably by reducing the amount of inflammation of the gums and periodontitis (gum disease).
Take Away
Good oral hygiene reduces the risk of new-onset A-Fib and of sustaining it once you’ve got it.
For more about A-Fib and dental health, read my FAQ question about Local Anesthesia Used in Dentistry May Trigger Your A-Fib.
