Protection from heart disease and stroke was more pronounced in participants who got tooth scaling at least once a year. - Photo by AFP

WASHINGTON: Regular professional cleaning of teeth not only gives a patient a more radiant smile but also helps reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke, according to a new study.

The study presented on Sunday at an American Heart Association meeting in Orlando, Florida, was conducted at the Veterans General Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan.

Researchers have found that those who had their teeth scraped and cleaned by a dentist or dental hygienist had a 24 per cent lower risk of heart attack and 13 per cent lower risk of stroke compared to those who had never had a dental cleaning.

More than 100,000 people were followed in this study for an average of seven years.

Scientists considered tooth scaling frequent if it occurred at least twice or more in two years and occasional if it occurred once or less in two years.

“Protection from heart disease and stroke was more pronounced in participants who got tooth scaling at least once a year,” said Emily (Zu-Yin) Chen, cardiology fellow at the Veterans General Hospital.

Professional tooth scaling appears to reduce inflammation-causing bacterial growth that can lead to heart disease or stroke, she said.