Brushing your teeth may be good for your heart, a new study suggests. It included more than 161,000 South Korean adults, ages 40 to 79, with no history of heart failure or the heart rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation. Between 2003 and 2004, participants had a routine medical exam and were asked about a wide range of lifestyle habits, including how often they brushed their teeth. During a median follow-up of 10.5 years, 3% developed a-fib and 4.9%, developed heart failure. (Median means half were followed for less time, half for more.). Those who brushed their teeth three or more times a day had a 10% lower risk of afib and a 12% lower risk of heart failure during the follow-up.

The reduced risk was independent of age, sex, wealth, exercise, alcohol use, body fat and conditions such as high blood pressure, according to the study published Dec. 2 in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. Researchers didn't investigate how regular brushing might reduce heart disease risk. But previous studies have suggested that poor oral hygiene results in bacteria in the blood, causing inflammation that increases odds of heart disease.

The study was conducted in one country and was observational, so it does not prove a direct link between regular brushing and reduced heart risk, said senior author Dr. Tae-Jin Song, of the Department of Neurology at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.

But he added: "We studied a large group over a long period, which adds strength to our findings."

An editorial accompanying the study said it is "certainly too early" to recommend tooth brushing to prevent afib and heart failure.

"While the role of inflammation in the occurrence of cardiovascular disease is becoming more and more evident, intervention studies are needed to define strategies of public health importance," the editorial said. You don't have to wind up with stained teeth if you toast the holidays with red wine, an expert says. "The strength of your enamel and how prone you are to plaque buildup is key to how much your teeth might stain," said Dr. Uchenna Akosa, head of Rutgers Health University Dental Associates, the faculty practice of Rutgers School of Dental Medicine in New Brunswick, NJ. Akosa called red wine a "triple threat" to a sparkling smile. "When you drink red wine, you're encountering a triple threat to your teeth's whiteness: anthocyanins, which are the pigments in grapes that give red wine its rich colour; tannins, which help bind the pigment to your teeth; and the acidity found in wine, which etches your enamel, making it more porous and it easier for the stain to stick," she said in a Rutgers news release.

Akosa offered these tips for preventing red wine stains:

•    Know when to brush. Plaque can make it appear that your teeth are stained, so you should brush your teeth 30 minutes before drinking red wine -- but not right after, since toothpaste can cause more etching.

•    Avoid mixing wines. Don't drink white wine before red wine, because the extra acid in the white wine will worsen the staining.

•    Have some water. Swishing water in your mouth after drinking wine helps reduce the wine's acidity and stimulates saliva flow, which combats harmful bacteria and maintains the ideal pH in your mouth.

    HealthDay