Can someone help me answer the following question please:

Bad gums means a bad heart. Researchers discovered that 85% of people who have suffered a heart attack had peiodontal disease, an inflammation of gums. Only 29% of healthy people have this disease. Suppose tat in a ertain community heart attacks are quite rae, occurring with only 10% probability. If someone has periodontal diseas, wha is the pobability that they will have a heart attack?

Yesterday, while taking care of an elderly, I listened to a talk on dental hygiene. She mentioned it is now proven that people with diabetes are more likely to have periodontal disease but she didn't have stats. It makes sense in a way, however, your question is interesting. Those stats re high because it takes a long time to have a heart attack from periodontal disease. It takes years for the poison to get that far. I wonder where they get their figures from, a third world country ?

To answer your question, given our knowledge now about mouthcare, preventative medicine and it has been out there for years, the drumming into our heads that we MUST take care of all of our god given assets. One of them our teeth, because it certainly isn't a picnic having dentures ! In my profession I have never, ever seen a heart attack caused by bad dental care, but I know it happens, unfortunately to people who don't have the money, or aren't near resources to take care of their dental health. That takes us back to third world countries, right ?

To get to the point, I would have to say the probabliity is 25%. Any takers ? Going, going...


Tick, a healthcare professional and a damned good one !