17d • Stroke Prevention Tips
🪥 Stroke-Proof Tip: Don't forget your toothbrush.
I'm interested to share today's Stroke-Proof tip because it's an area I hadn't really thought as a risk factor before, but I know realise that it very much is!
When people think about preventing stroke they think about:
🏃 Exercise
🥗 Diet
🚭 Smoking
🩸 Blood pressure
💊 Cholesterol
Very few people think about their gums.
Periodontal (gum) disease is a chronic inflammatory condition caused by bacteria around the teeth.
Those bacteria don't always stay in your mouth.
They can enter the bloodstream, increase systemic inflammation, damage blood vessels and may contribute to atherosclerosis and blood clot formation.
Several large studies have found that people with periodontitis have a significantly higher risk of stroke.
The latest systematic review analysed 36 studies involving more than 7.6 million people and found that periodontal disease was associated with around a 72% higher odds of stroke, with an even stronger association for ischaemic stroke. (PubMed)
Fortunately...
A recent systematic review found that treating periodontal disease—particularly regular professional dental scaling—was associated with a lower risk of future ischaemic stroke. (PubMed)
Now, this doesn't prove that brushing your teeth prevents stroke.
People with good oral hygiene often have other healthy habits too, and most of the evidence is observational.
But we already know that good oral health has many benefits, and there's increasing evidence that it forms part of overall cardiovascular health.
So if you're trying to become Stroke-Proof, don't stop at the gym or the kitchen.
✅ Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste
✅ Clean between your teeth every day (floss or interdental brushes)
✅ See your dentist regularly
✅ Don't ignore bleeding gums—they're common, but they're not normal.
However.... Be cautiuous with broad-spectrum antiseptic mouthwashes (particularly chlorhexidine, unless specifically prescribed by your dentist).
They don't just kill harmful bacteria—they also kill beneficial oral bacteria that help convert dietary nitrate from vegetables into nitric oxide, a molecule that helps keep our blood vessels healthy and our blood pressure under control.
The evidence is still evolving. Recent systematic reviews suggest that while chlorhexidine mouthwash can disrupt this pathway, there is not yet convincing evidence that routine mouthwash use causes clinically meaningful increases in blood pressure. So I wouldn't recommend throwing your mouthwash away—but I also wouldn't use antiseptic mouthwash routinely unless there's a clear dental indication.
Good brushing, flossing and regular dental care remain the foundations of oral health.
I hope you found this as fascinating as I did when I started reading into it this week.
References
- Zhang Y, et al. The Association Between Periodontal Disease and Stroke Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice. 2025. (36 studies, 7.7 million participants). (PubMed)
- Rodríguez-Yáñez M, et al. The Impact of Periodontal Health Interventions on the Risk of Ischemic Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. International Journal of Dental Hygiene. 2026. (PubMed)
- Toonen J, et al. The Effect of Chlorhexidine Mouthwash on Blood Pressure: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. International Journal of Dental Hygiene. 2026.
- Farook FF, et al. Association between mouth rinse use and changes in blood pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis. International Journal of Dental Hygiene. 2024.
- Kapil V, et al. Nitrate, the oral microbiome, and cardiovascular health: A systematic literature review of human and animal studies. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
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🪥 Stroke-Proof Tip: Don't forget your toothbrush.
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