In the third semester of the hygiene program we were assigned to do an article research on different topics related to oral health. My group decided to explore the correlation between stroke incidence and periodontal disease.The reference articles that we used indeed showed increased risk of stroke development in patients with periodontal disease.

According to the research described in the article Gingival Inflammation Associates with Stroke – A Role for Oral Health Personnel in Prevention: A Database Study (Söder B, Meurman JH, Söder P-Ö ), 26-year cohort study and statistical findings obtained proved the existent correlation between cerebral infarction and gingival disease. According to the results, from 1676 participants 39 subjects (2.3%) had been diagnosed with stroke. Investigation revealed a relation of stroke and smoking (p=0.01), gingival inflammation (p=0.03), and calculus deposits (p=0.017). Gingival disease definitely places a patient in the group of stroke risk. Thus, this research highlights the role of the dental team in prevention of stroke. Simple oral hygiene procedures may save millions of lives.

This research assignment helped me to study the correlation of stroke and periodontal disease in details. While preparing for research presentation, I read a vast amount of articles about stroke, its symptoms, its risk factors, and ways of stroke prevention. This task helped me search the information, collect information only from verified sources, and rely only on evidence based facts.

Now, when I know a lot about relation of stroke and periodontal disease, I can emphasize this during oral hygiene discussion with  my patients. And may be I will contribute to stroke prevention.