Association between toothbrushing and cardiovascular risk factors: a cross-sectional study using Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2015–2017

Abstract

Background Previous studies have suggested that frequent toothbrushing is associated with a lower risk of future cardiovascular events. We sought to investigate further the relationship between toothbrushing, cardiovascular risk factors, and lifestyle behaviours.

Methods We analysed a cross-sectional survey including 13,761 adults aged 30 years or older without a history of cardiovascular diseases from the Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey. Conventional cardiovascular risk factors (blood pressure, lipid profiles, and fasting glucose), and inflammatory markers (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein [hsCRP], and white blood cell counts [WBC]) were investigated in relation to the frequency of toothbrushing.

Results The estimated 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk, calculated using the pooled cohort equations was 13.7%, 9.1%, and 7.3% for participants who reported toothbrushing 0–1, 2, and ≥ 3 times a day, respectively. Both conventional risk factors and inflammatory markers were significantly associated with frequent toothbrushing. However, after adjusting potential confounding factors such as age, sex, comorbidities, and lifestyle behaviours, only inflammatory markers were remained as significant factors.

Conclusions Oral hygiene behaviours are closely linked to cardiovascular risk factors. This study suggests that reduced systemic inflammatory burden may explain the benefit of improved oral hygiene in terms of cardiovascular risk.