Germy mouths linked to heart attacks, study finds (USA)

People with the germiest mouths are the most likely to have heart attacks, U.S. researchers reported. A study that compared heart attack victims to healthy volunteers found the heart patients had higher numbers of bacteria in their mouths, the researchers said. Their findings add to a growing body of evidence linking oral hygiene with overall health. Oelisoa Andriankaja and colleagues at the University at Buffalo in New York were trying to find if any particular species of bacteria might be causing heart attacks. Their tests on 386 men and women who had suffered heart attacks and 840 people free of heart trouble showed two types - Tannerella forsynthesis and Prevotella intermedia - were more common among the heart attack patients. - Reuters