Health gem

If you do one thing this week... Brush your teeth for your heart

Brushing your teeth won’t just give you a confident smile like Julia Roberts, it may help to protect your heart too.

Research has previously linked poor oral care with an increased risk of heart disease, and a survey involving nearly 12,000 people in Scotland has now driven the point even further home.

Participants in the study who reported poor oral hygiene – rarely or never brushing their teeth – had a 70 per cent increased risk of cardiovascular disease when compared with the people who cleaned their gnashers more frequently.

Those less acquainted with a toothbrush were also more likely to have higher levels of markers in their blood associated with inflammation and heart problems, including C-reactive protein.

"Poor oral hygiene is associated with higher levels of risk of cardiovascular disease and low grade inflammation," write the researchers in the British Medical Journal.

Research yet has to figure out a causal relationship between heart disease and a lack of oral care.