Benefits outweigh risks

In a study published in Annals of Internal Medicine, the researchers examined data from the claims database of a US Medicaid programme to investigate whether impairment to blood flow resulting from invasive dental treatment created a higher risk for cardiovascular events.

Averaged across the different age groups, the records suggested that, in the month following invasive dental treatment, the risk of a heart attack or stroke is increased by 50 per cent. However, the risk then returned to normal in the weeks following this, resulting in an increased overall risk of less than four per cent per year.

‘This is the first study that links those dental procedures associated with a relevant host inflammatory response with short term risk of vascular eventsm,’ says Francesco D’Aiuto, a HEFCE Clinical Senior Lecturer at UCL EDI. ‘More research is needed on the short term effects of invasive dental procedures, even simple tooth extractions, especially in high risk individuals like those with established vascular diseases.’