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In recent years, there have been numerous hypotheses linking periodontal infections to atherosclerosis--the process that leads to blockage of blood vessels. The study validates the effectiveness of intensive periodontal treatment in affecting vascular health.
Currently, more than one in three Americans over the age of 30 have some form of periodontitis, according to the American Academy of Periodontology. CVD is the single largest killer of American adults; in 2003, it caused one of every five deaths in the United States.
"The study published in the New England Journal of Medicine is promising for patients as well as for the medical and dental communities, notes periodontist Micahel C. Lynch, DMD, PhD, director of the Clinical Research Rx, New Technology Oral Health Care RD of OralPharma, Inc. (Warmister, Pennsylvania). While researchers continue to study the llink between systematic disease and oral health, this study adds to the growing body of evidence and underscores the potential impact of infection and subsequent inflammation on systemic diseases.
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