Flossing May Help Lower Stroke Risk

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A surprisingly simple routine – flossing your teeth – may lower your risk of stroke, according to a new study reported at an international stroke meeting.

“A small daily habit like flossing could have significant long-term health benefits,” says lead researcher Souvik Sen, M.D., professor and chair of the Neurology Department at the University

of South Carolina School of Medicine.

Although it just takes a couple of minutes, only about one-third of people 45 and older floss every day. The percentage of people who don’t floss at all rises with age: 45 to 64 is almost 30

percent, 65 to 74 is 34 percent, and among people 75 and older, 44 percent do not floss, according to a 2018 report from researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Stroke risk increases with age and with underlying health and lifestyle factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cigarette smoking. Each year, more than 795,000 people in the United

States experience a stroke.

The study by Sen and his colleagues at six other U.S. universities tracked the oral care habits and incidence of stroke among more than 6,200 people for 25 years taking part in the

Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities, or ARIC, study. They found that flossing was associated with a lower risk of strokes caused by blood clots from the heart (44 percent lower risk),

blocked blood flow to the brain (22 percent), and irregular heart rhythm (12 percent), regardless of how often they brushed or went to the dentist. Sen presented the results at the American

Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference in early February. These findings are preliminary since they have not yet been peer-reviewed or published in a research journal.

“This research is extremely important for helping people understand what they can do with inexpensive tools daily at home that can significantly reduce their risk of stroke,” says

neurologist Andrei Alexandrov, M.D., chair of the Department of Neurology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.