Skipping tooth brushing at night could raise risk of cardiovascular disease

Research, published in the journal Scientific Reports, found that skipping a dental hygiene session at night-time could spell bad news for your risk of cardiovascular disease.

The study findings stressed that while a brushing session before breakfast is necessary, brushing teeth before bed time is even more important to prevent cardiovascular problems.

The research team looked at participants aged 20 or over who were hospitalised at the Osaka University Hospital in Japan between April 2013 and March 2016 for examination, surgery, or treatment.

Furthermore, people who visited the hospital’s Unit of Dentistry to seek dental treatment, perioperative oral care, and screening for infection were also considered.

Including the total of 1,675 participants, the researchers put the subjects into four groups.

Including the total of 1,675 participants, the researchers put the subjects into four groups. 

Group MN consisted of people who brushed their teeth twice daily, once after waking up and once at night-time.

Group Night only reported brushing their teeth once at night, while group M brushed their teeth only after waking up.

The last group dubbed None didn’t perform this key practice of oral hygiene at all.

The researchers then evaluated each participant’s age, gender, smoking history, and follow-up results. 

In addition, four independent investigators also looked at the dental and medical records of all study participants.

They focused on factors like oral health, pre-hospitalisation frequency and time of toothbrushing, the depth of periodontal pockets, the extent of tooth mobility, and teeth count.

When it came to markers of cardiovascular health, the researchers considered hospitalisation for heart failure, arrhythmia, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, and valvular and aortic diseases requiring surgery.

The findings suggested that non-smokers in groups None and M had “significantly” worse prognosis when hospitalised with cardiovascular issue. 

On the other hand, groups MN and Night had higher survival rates.

While the team explained that the findings are limited to cardiovascular diseases, they stressed the importance of nightly tooth brushing. 

“We suggest that brushing teeth at night is important for lowering cardiovascular disease risk,” the team penned.