Can Your Oral Health Affect Your Heart? Exploring the Link Between Gum Disease and Cardiovascular Disease
Our mouths are more than just a smile — they’re part of your whole-body health. Research shows that poor oral health, especially gum disease (periodontal disease), is associated with an increased risk of serious heart conditions, including cardiovascular disease, such as heart attacks and stroke. While a direct cause-and-effect link hasn’t been fully proven, understanding this connection can help protect both your heart and your smile.
What Is Cardiovascular Disease and How Is It Connected to Oral Health?
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) refers to conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels — including coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis and stroke. Periodontal disease causes chronic inflammation and allows bacteria from the mouth to enter the bloodstream. This may contribute to systemic inflammation and vascular changes at sites far from the oral cavity, which are linked with cardiovascular risk.
The Australian Dental Association (ADA) recognises that while association does not prove causation, there’s a growing body of evidence showing links between oral disease like periodontitis and chronic conditions such as heart disease. This highlights why good oral care is important as part of overall health management.
How Does Gum Disease Potentially Impact Heart Health?
Here’s how researchers believe poor oral health and cardiovascular conditions may be connected:
1. Bacteria Entering the Bloodstream
Harmful bacteria from infected gums can enter the bloodstream during everyday activities like brushing or flossing when gums are inflamed. Once in the blood, these bacteria may contribute to arterial inflammation and plaque buildup — key factors in cardiovascular risk.
2. Systemic Inflammation
Chronic gum disease triggers an immune response that increases levels of inflammatory markers throughout the body. Systemic inflammation is known to contribute to atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and other cardiovascular problems.
What Does the Research Say?
While further research is needed to confirm direct cause and effect, current evidence consistently shows an association between periodontal disease and cardiovascular risk. Clinical and epidemiological studies have found that people with untreated gum disease often have a higher prevalence of cardiovascular conditions.
The ADA’s policy on oral and systemic disease highlights that shared risk factors — such as smoking, poor diet, diabetes, obesity and age — may influence both gum disease and heart disease, reinforcing the value of prevention and early management of oral infections.
How Can You Protect Your Heart Through Oral Health?
Although caring for your mouth can’t replace traditional heart health strategies (like healthy diet, exercise and medical care), it can support overall wellbeing. Dental professionals recommend:
🦷 Brush twice daily with fluoride toothpaste
🪥 Clean between your teeth daily with floss or interdental brushes
📅 Visit your dentist regularly for check-ups and professional cleaning
🚭 Avoid smoking — a shared risk factor for gum and heart disease
🍎 Eat a balanced diet rich in whole foods and low in added sugars
❤️ Talk to both your dental and medical GP teams about any existing heart conditions
Regular dental care helps reduce oral inflammation and bacterial load, which may contribute to better systemic health outcomes overall.
Why It Matters in Australia
In Australia, cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of illness and death. Recognising that oral health forms part of this broader health picture is increasingly emphasised by healthcare organisations — including the ADA, public health bodies and chronic disease initiatives — which have highlighted the connection between oral disease and major chronic conditions.
Take-Home Message
While scientists are still investigating exactly how gum disease and heart disease influence each other, the link is strong enough to take seriously. Good oral hygiene and preventive dental care help reduce inflammation and bacterial burden, supporting not just oral health but your overall wellbeing — including your cardiovascular health.
Healthy gums. Healthy heart. Healthy life.