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Claim: An Instagram user claims a new study confirms that not brushing at night increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Verdict: True. Different studies have linked periodontal diseases, which are mainly caused by poor brushing habits, to cardiovascular diseases.
Full Text
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a group of diseases that affect the heart and blood vessels. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), CVDs are the leading cause of death globally.
Surprisingly, an Instagram user @thefarmacyreal linked the habit of not brushing at night to this serious disease. The user claimed that studies have confirmed that not brushing at night increases a person’s risk of cardiovascular diseases.
@thefarmacyreal explained that at night, saliva production slows down, making it less able to wash away bacteria. This leads to the build-up of plaque on teeth and gums, which, she said, can easily enter the bloodstream.
“What you may not know is that bacteria from these plaques can easily enter the bloodstream and cause systematic inflammation in the blood vessels. This can lead to the buildup of plaque in your arteries. This is known as atherosclerosis and is directly linked to heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, aneurysms, peripheral artery disease, and more,” part of the caption reads.
An Instagram user @mlbcad questioned what studies the claimant was referring to. “What studies,” he wrote.
Another user, @sh33na, asked, “But some studies will say the toothpaste causes cancer, so it is hard to tell.”
@Joker_srr, who didn’t believe the post, tagged it “fake.”
Since this is a public health issue, DUBAWA decided to verify it.
Verification
The first thing we did was look up the links shared by the user. The first link led to a Medical News article on how skipping nightly toothbrushing could heighten Cardiovascular disease risks.
This article referenced a 2023 study published in Scientific Reports titled “Not brushing teeth at night may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.” The study sought to investigate whether toothbrushing timing affects cardiovascular disease risk and found that brushing teeth before breakfast is necessary but brushing teeth at night before bed is more important.
The second article linked by the claimant was an article by the American Heart Association News with the headline “Bad tooth brushing habit linked to higher heart risks.”
The report noted that a new study suggests that brushing the teeth twice daily for at least two minutes may lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases. The article referenced a study published in 2018 in the AHA Journal titled “Poor Oral Health and Blood Pressure Control Among US Hypertensive Adults: Results From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009 to 2014.”
The study found that gum disease appears to worsen blood pressure and interferes with medications to treat hypertension.
A Google Scholar keyword search on the relationship between tooth brushing and cardiovascular diseases led us to the 2023 study referenced by the claimant and another 2024 study titled “Association Between the Frequency of Tooth Brushing and the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.”
This 2024 study’s finding supported the hypothesis that a higher frequency of tooth brushing can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Conclusion
Our findings show the claim is true. Different studies have linked poor brushing habits to cardiovascular diseases. One study particularly linked heart disease and periodontal disease (a condition marked by gum infection, gum inflammation, and tooth damage) caused by the buildup of dental plaque.
