According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2022 Global Oral Health Status Report, oral diseases — including untreated tooth decay and gum disease — now affect 3.5 billion people worldwide, making them the most widespread health conditions.1 However, most people don’t realize that poor oral hygiene is more than just a cosmetic issue — it’s linked to chronic inflammation, and puts you at high risk of stroke and atrial fibrillation (AFib).
The good news is that simple oral habits like flossing regularly help prevent the buildup of bad bacteria, significantly reducing your risk of other health problems. Recent findings support this notion, providing solid evidence that your oral health influences your heart.
Why Is Flossing Crucial for Your Heart Health?
A preliminary study2 presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Conference, held in early February this year, discovered that flossing at least once a week significantly reduces the risk of stroke and irregular heartbeats.
• Determining the link between oral hygiene and stroke prevention — In a press release, Dr. Souvik Sen, chair of the Department of Neurology in Prisma Health Richland Hospital and the study’s lead author, said, “We aimed to determine which oral hygiene behavior — dental flossing, brushing or regular dentist visits — has the greatest impact on stroke prevention.”3
• Assessing the participants’ oral health habits — For their research, they used long-term data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, which followed more than 6,000 people for 25 years. The participants were assessed on their flossing habits, brushing frequency and routine dental visits, as well as their risk of stroke and heart disease.
• Flossing, in particular, shows positive effects — It helps prevent the buildup of harmful bacteria that leads to periodontal disease (gum disease), which is now recognized as a contributing factor to cardiovascular disease.
• Regular flossing lowers stroke risk — According to the researchers’ findings, those who flossed regularly had a 22% lower risk of ischemic stroke and a 44% lower risk of cardioembolic stroke (strokes caused by blood clots traveling from the heart).4
• It also reduces risk of atrial fibrillation — People who flossed had a 12% lower chance of developing AFib, a condition that allows blood to pool and clot inside the heart, leading to heart failure or other cardiovascular complications.5
This is a significant discovery, considering the American Heart Association’s 2025 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics estimated that more than 12 million people in the U.S. will develop AFib by 2030.6
Flossing Lowers Stroke Risk by Preventing Oral Infections
The implications are clear — maintaining oral hygiene is about more than fresh breath. It directly affects inflammation levels in your body, which in turn impact cardiovascular function.
• Flossing reduces the presence of harmful bacteria — These pathogenic organisms lead to infections in the gums which, in turn, cause systemic inflammation and allow harmful bacteria to enter the bloodstream, leading to artery damage and clot formation.7,8 “Oral health behaviors are linked to inflammation and artery hardening. Flossing may reduce stroke risk by lowering oral infections and inflammation and encouraging other healthy habits,” Sen said.9
• Flossing has unique benefits on stroke risk — Surprisingly, the link between flossing and lower stroke risk was independent of other oral hygiene habits, including brushing frequency and regular dental visits. This means that flossing itself provides unique protective benefits beyond standard dental care.
• Increasing the frequency also strengthened the protective effects — Those who flossed more often had an even greater reduction in stroke risk.10
One of the biggest advantages of flossing is that it’s a simple, affordable, and accessible way to lower stroke risk. Unlike prescription medications or medical procedures, flossing requires no special equipment, doctor’s visits, or costly interventions. “Many people have expressed that dental care is costly. Flossing is a healthy habit that is easy to adopt, affordable and accessible everywhere,” Sen added.11
Frequent Flossing Lowers Your Cardiovascular Mortality Risk
A recent review published in The Journal of the American Dental Association provided similar findings. Using data from 18,801 adults involved in the 2009-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, the researchers examined the relationship between self-reported flossing behavior and the prevalence of cardiovascular disease events.12
• Investigating the link between inflammation and oral health — The researchers measured the participants’ C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of systemic inflammation.13 This key inflammatory marker increases in response to chronic infections, stress, and poor metabolic health, and having chronically high levels is associated with an increased risk of hypertension, atherosclerosis, and heart failure.
• The researchers categorized participants into four groups — These were based on how often they flossed — not flossing at all, occasional flossing (one to three days per week), frequent flossing (four to six days per week), and daily flossing (seven days per week).
• Daily flossing showed the most profound benefits — According to their findings, those who flossed daily had a 29% lower risk of experiencing a cardiovascular event and a 36% lower risk of dying from heart disease.
• Consistent flossing has cumulative benefits — Furthermore, each additional day of flossing per week led to a 6% reduction in CVD mortality risk, reinforcing the idea that consistent flossing provides cumulative cardiovascular benefits.
“Improvement in flossing behavior can have an additional benefit in the prevention of CVD events. Cardiologists need to advise patients to improve their personal oral hygiene practices, in addition to the standard diet and exercise advice,” the study authors concluded.14
Poor Oral Habits Increase Your Risk of Premature Death
Beyond cardiovascular disease, The Journal of the American Dental Association study also looked at the impact of flossing on overall mortality risk. Those who never flossed had a much higher likelihood of dying during the follow-up period, even after adjusting for confounding variables.
• Flossing may help you live longer — Poor flossing habits were associated with an 8.3% all-cause mortality rate compared to only 6.3% among daily flossers. This suggests that oral health habits could be influencing broader systemic health issues beyond just heart disease.15
• Gum inflammation adds to inflammation levels — The most likely explanation is that chronic gum inflammation caused by inadequate flossing increases the body’s total inflammatory burden, which weakens immune function and contributes to various chronic diseases.
• Certain periodontal bacteria have also been linked to diseases — These include Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and even some cancers.16 “The results of our study augment the limited evidence emerging that interdental cleaning may also have beneficial effects, over and above toothbrushing, in lowering CVD risk and all-cause mortality,” the researchers concluded.17
Poor Oral Habits Harm Your Brain, Too
An earlier study published in Neurology found that poor dental health is also associated with hippocampal atrophy — shrinkage of the hippocampus brain region that serves as a marker for Alzheimer’s disease.18,19
• Identifying the link between dental and brain health — The study involved 172 people aged 55 years and over who had no cognitive decline at the start of the study. The participants had dental exams and took memory tests, while brain scans were used to measure hippocampus volume at the start of the study and four years later.
• Both gum disease severity and tooth loss were linked to brain changes — Those with mild gum disease and fewer teeth had a faster shrinkage rate in the left hippocampus. Among this group, having one less tooth increased brain shrinkage at a rate equivalent to nearly one year of brain aging.
• However, having more teeth is linked to faster brain shrinkage — Curiously, among those with severe gum disease, having more teeth was linked to a faster rate of hippocampal shrinkage, with each additional tooth equating to 1.3 years of brain aging.
Study author Satoshi Yamaguchi, an associate professor at Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry in Sendai, Japan, added: “Our study found that these conditions may play a role in the health of the brain area that controls thinking and memory, giving people another reason to take better care of their teeth.”20
• This isn’t a recent finding — Periodontal disease has been suggested as a risk factor for Alzheimer’s since at least 2015, when researchers with the University of Bristol noted that “periodontal pathogens are possible contributors to neural inflammation and SLOAD [sporadic late onset Alzheimer’s disease].”21
For more information on how gum disease harms your brain health, read “Poor Oral Health Wreaks Havoc on Your Heart and Brain.” In addition to cognitive decline, periodontitis has also been linked to systemic diseases such as diabetes, respiratory disease, adverse pregnancy outcomes, nervous system diseases, and cancer.22
Protecting Your Oral Health Early Is the Best Strategy
Gum disease is often a “silent” condition — you may not see the signs and symptoms until it’s already in the advanced stages.23 According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), among adults aged 30 or over, nearly half (42%) have signs of gum disease, while 9% have severe gum disease.24
• Proper hygiene is essential — If you want to lower your risk of heart disease and inflammation-related conditions, taking care of your oral health must be a top priority. Regular brushing, flossing (remember to use dental floss without harmful chemicals), tongue scraping, and getting regular cleanings with a mercury-free biological dentist, will go a long way toward keeping your teeth and gums healthy.
• Try oil pulling with coconut oil — Coconut oil is antibacterial and antiviral, and oil pulling has been found to reduce gingivitis and plaque, significantly lowering plaque index scores compared to a control group, while also reducing bacterial colony counts in saliva.25 You can read more about its benefits in “Why Is Oil Pulling Suddenly All the Rage?”
• Eat a healthy diet — A lifestyle that includes a diet based on fresh, whole foods rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber is also essential to a naturally clean teeth and good oral health. Processed foods and refined sugars feed harmful bacteria, leading to cavities, gum disease, and increased inflammation.
• Get enough sleep and manage your stress — Keep in mind that stress and lack of sleep weaken your immune system, making it harder for your body to fight off oral infections and inflammation. If you frequently experience gum issues or other oral health problems, take a close look at your stress levels and sleep habits.
By making these simple yet powerful changes, you’re not just protecting your teeth and gums — you’re also actively reducing your risk of heart disease, stroke, dementia, and premature death. Small daily habits lead to major long-term benefits, and prioritizing your oral health is one of the easiest ways to support your overall well-being. For more information on how your lifestyle choices affect your oral health, read “Your Lifestyle Plays a Role in Your Oral Microbiome Composition.”
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Flossing and Heart Health
Q: How does flossing impact heart health?
A: Flossing helps prevent gum disease, which reduces chronic inflammation in the body. This inflammation is linked to a higher risk of stroke, atrial fibrillation (AFib), and heart disease. Studies show that regular flossing lowers the risk of ischemic stroke by 22% and heart-related strokes by 44%.
Q: Can flossing really reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation (AFib)?
A: Yes. People who floss regularly have a 12% lower risk of developing AFib, a condition where irregular heartbeats can lead to blood clots, increasing the chances of heart failure and stroke.
Q: Does brushing alone provide the same benefits as flossing?
A: No. Research has shown that flossing has unique protective effects on heart health that brushing and regular dental visits do not provide. Flossing prevents bacteria from entering the bloodstream and triggering systemic inflammation, which contributes to cardiovascular diseases.
Q: How does flossing impact overall longevity?
A: Flossing reduces systemic inflammation, which plays a role in multiple chronic diseases. Studies found that daily flossers had a 36% lower risk of dying from heart disease and an 8.3% lower all-cause mortality rate compared to those who never floss.
Q: Can poor oral hygiene affect brain health?
A: Yes. Gum disease and poor oral health have been linked to hippocampal shrinkage, a marker for Alzheimer’s disease. Chronic inflammation from oral infections contributes to cognitive decline, diabetes, and other systemic diseases. Maintaining good oral hygiene is crucial for overall health, not just dental care.
