NOT brushing your teeth before you go to bed increases your risk of cardiovascular disease, a new study suggests.
Researchers found skipping the night-time scrub meant a higher chance of developing complications like angina, heart failure and heart attack.
GettyScientists have stressed the importance of brushing your teeth before bed[/caption]
Scientists studied 1,675 patients aged 20 and over who visited the Osaka University Hospital in Japan between April 2013 and March 2016 for examination, surgery, or treatment.
They were split into four groups based on their oral hygiene habits.
These were: people who brushed twice a day (once after waking up and once before bed), those who only brushed in the morning, people who only did it at night, and participants who did not practice oral hygiene at all.
Age, gender, smoking history, dental and medical records were also evaluated.
The team considered this against hospitalisations for heart failure, arrhythmia, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, and valvular and aortic diseases requiring surgery.
They discovered non-smoking morning-only brushers and those who didn’t do it all showed the worst prognosis when hospitalised with a cardiovascular health problem.
On the other hand, people who brushed twice daily and those who brushed only at night had higher survival rates.
Smokers generally fared worst overall.
The authors of the study, published in Nature’s journal Scientific Reports, said: “The findings clearly indicate that only brushing in the morning after waking up is inadequate and that brushing at night is good to maintain good health.
“Although our findings are limited to cardiovascular diseases and cannot be applied to healthy individuals, they indicate that brushing teeth at night is important.
“To prevent cardiovascular diseases, brushing teeth before breakfast is necessary, but most important is brushing teeth at night before going to bed.”
The researchers think lingering bacteria in the mouth is to blame for inflammation throughout the body, which can lead to serious health problems like cardiovascular disease.
The generic team covers conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels.
According to the NHS, it is usually associated with a build-up of fatty deposits inside the arteries (atherosclerosis) and an increased risk of blood clots.
But it can also be linked to damage to arteries in organs such as the brain, heart, kidneys and eyes.
The four main types of cardiovascular disease are:
Coronary heart disease (angina, heart attacks, heart failure)Stroke and transient ischaemic attack (or mini stroke)Peripheral arterial disease Aortic disease
Cardiovascular disease is one of the main causes of death and disability in the UK.
But health officials say it can be prevented by leading a healthy lifestyle.