Tooth - cleaning reduces risk of high blood pressure

Improving dental hygiene can reduce the risk of a serious disorder affecting over a quarter of adults, scientists say.

This can lead to heart attacks, strokes, madness, and other potentially fatal diseases.

A possible explanation for the relationship is how people lose teeth that can change their diets into softer and more processed foods, so they chewed less and reduced their circulation.

A study by the American University of Buffalo more than 36,500 elderly women found that those who lost their teeth had 20 percent more likely to be affected by cardiovascular problems.

These changes in food patterns may be associated with more cases of hypertension.

Professor Jean Wactawski-Wende, from Buffalo University in New York, said the results show that tooth loss could be an important factor in the development of hypertension.

Poor dental hygiene has been linked to a host of potentially fatal diseases, including heart disease and cancer.

It is believed that bacteria in meats can enter into the bloodstream and move into other parts of the body by causing inflammation.

About 160,000 people die from heart disease and cardiovascular disease in Great Britain every year. British experts say that dental care can help prevent heart and brain attacks. They advise people to brush their teeth twice a day.