This Heart Health Month, Remember: Healthy Hearts Begin with Healthy Mouths

TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- February is National Heart Health Month, and your oral health and your heart health are much more closely connected than you may think! Landmark medical research recently established an "oral-systemic" link between the organisms that cause inflammatory gum disease (such as periodontitis) and systemic inflammatory disease (such as atherosclerosis, the buildup of plaque in the arteries).(1)

This is a cause of concern in the United States, as poor oral hygiene is widespread. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), by age 34, approximately 50 percent of people have experienced periodontal disease.(2)

Brushing and flossing twice a day are important, powerful oral hygiene tools in cleaning tooth surfaces, removing debris and stimulating gums. For some patients, however, it is not enough, as they do not play a role in positively impacting the natural bacteria load in the mouth. A line of oral-care probiotics, from Tampa-based ProBiora Health®, provide a simple and effective way to replenish the good bacteria naturally found in the mouth, crowding out the harmful bacteria and supporting a person's oral health.

"The mouth is the gateway to the body, which means that excellent oral health plays a significant role in our overall health, including heart health," says Chris Koski, CEO of ProBiora Health. "The active probiotics in ProBiora are a patented blend of the 'good bacteria' the mouth needs to help minimize the 'bad bacteria', which can cause plaque, gum disease, cavities, and inflammation in the mouth."

Research Finds Mouth and Heart Connection
According to a study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, patients with improved oral hygiene had a lower risk for atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) compared with those with poor oral hygiene.(3)

Inside Dentistry Magazine also recently cited a study that suggests as many as 50 percent of heart attacks may be triggered by an oral infection.(4) The publication reported the same study "revealed the pathways of specific bacteria from dental infections and showed how they can directly cause heart attacks and strokes. It concluded that it is necessary to classify periodontal disease as a contributory cause of atherosclerosis."

Findings such as these, which link oral and systemic bacteria, are helping shift the paradigm of dentistry from curative to preventative. Collaborative treatment efforts between the Heart Attack and Stroke Prevention Center (HASPC) of Central Ohio and Complete Health Dentistry of Columbus have shown positive results in preventing heart attacks.

"Understanding the crucial link between oral health and heart health is a game-changer in developing treatment plans," says Dr. Eric Goulder, founder of the Heart Attack and Stroke Prevention Center of Central Ohio. "Given the prevalence of poor oral hygiene in the U.S., adding an oral-care probiotic to an individual's daily routine can benefit patients' gums and hearts."

"Now, with an oral-care probiotic, we have a preventative approach that can have life-changing benefits for patients, especially ones who have been identified as having potential risk for heart disease," says Dr. Barbara McClatchie, DDS, of Complete Health Dentistry of Columbus.

The Science Behind ProBiora Oral Probiotics
Similar to the way "gut" and other probiotics work, freeze-dried live microorganisms, known as "friendly" bacteria, are introduced to the mouth with the probiotic. The difference, however, is the bacterial strains are specially selected to support oral health. ProBiora is the only probiotic that includes the patented ProBiora3® blend of the three naturally occurring strains of beneficial bacteria in the mouth, including Streptococcus oralis KJ3®, Streptococcus uberis KJ2® and Streptococcus rattus JH145®.

As the probiotic strains dissolve in the mouth, the saliva hydrates the probiotics, which will seek out their natural habitat, immediately migrating to the mouth tissue, gums, gum pockets and tooth surfaces where they will "live" and compete with the pathogens or "bad bacteria." When taken daily, the "good" bacteria in ProBiora out competes the pathogens, helping to rebalance the mouth's oral biome, which leads to improved oral health.

The complete ProBiora Health® product line includes ProBioraPlus®, ProBioraXtra® and ProBiora Pro®, a professional-strength formula available through dental care professionals. All ProBiora Health products may be purchased at http://www.ProBioraHealth.com or Amazon.

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About ProBiora Health
Based in Tampa, FL, ProBiora Health is bringing the science of probiotics to oral care by developing and marketing a complete line of proprietary oral care probiotics that are specifically designed to enhance oral health for humans and pets. For more information, visit http://www.ProBioraHealth.com.

(1) Collaborating to Reduce Oral-Systemic Inflammation, Inside Dentistry Eric Goulder, MD and Patti DeMatteis, ASDH, RDH, Inside Dentistry Peer Reviewed Continuing Education, December 2019
(2) Source: Centers for Disease Control (CDC) https://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/conditions/periodontal-disease.html
(3) "Good oral hygiene may lower risk for HF, AF" Helio Cardiologytoday, Dec 2, 2019,
https://www.healio.com/cardiology/arrhythmia-disorders/news/online/%7B1dc5b0ac-4f8c-4e54-b71e-81eeeda4ba6b%7D/good-oral-hygiene-may-lower-risk-for-hf-af
(4) Cheng HG, Patel BS, Martin SS, et al. Effect of comprehensive cardiovascular disease risk management on longitudinal changes in carotid artery intima-media thickness in a community-based prevention clinic. Arch Med Sci. 2016;12(4):728-735.

Media Contact

Susanne Fey, Rev Communications, 1 3145189020, [email protected]

SOURCE ProBiora Health