Brushing Teeth Three Times a Day Reduces Heart Attack Risks

Brushing your teeth three or more times per day is associated with lower risks of atrial fibrillation and heart failure. (AFP)
Brushing your teeth three or more times per day is associated with lower risks of atrial fibrillation and heart failure. (AFP)
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Brushing Teeth Three Times a Day Reduces Heart Attack Risks

Brushing your teeth three or more times per day is associated with lower risks of atrial fibrillation and heart failure. (AFP)
Brushing your teeth three or more times per day is associated with lower risks of atrial fibrillation and heart failure. (AFP)

Brushing your teeth at least three times a day could lower the risk of heart failure by more than 10 percent, a study has found.

Researchers linked it to a lower risk of heart failure and atrial fibrillation, a condition that causes an irregular heart rate.

It is thought that frequent brushing reduces bacteria living between the teeth and gums, preventing it from entering the bloodstream.

Scientists in South Korea examined the connection between oral hygiene and heart problems in the study of 161,000 people aged between 40 and 79. They had a routine medical examination between 2003 and 2004.

By the time of a follow-up ten years later, around 5 percent had developed heart failure and three percent atrial fibrillation.

Brushing three or more times a day was associated with a 12 percent lower risk of heart failure and a 10 percent reduced risk of atrial fibrillation. The findings were independent of factors including age, sex, financial status, regular exercise, alcohol consumption and body mass index.

Other studies have shown that poor oral hygiene leads to bacteria in the blood, causing inflammation in the body. This increases the risk of an irregular beat and heart failure.



Australian Locals Rescue Great White Shark Stranded in Shallow Water

A person swims near a whale shark off the coast of St. Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Flora Tomlinson-Pilley)
A person swims near a whale shark off the coast of St. Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Flora Tomlinson-Pilley)
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Australian Locals Rescue Great White Shark Stranded in Shallow Water

A person swims near a whale shark off the coast of St. Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Flora Tomlinson-Pilley)
A person swims near a whale shark off the coast of St. Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Flora Tomlinson-Pilley)

Tourist Nash Core admits he felt some fear when he and his 11-year-old son waded into the ocean off the Australian coast to help rescue a 3-meter (10-foot) great white shark stranded in shallow water.
Three local men managed to return the distressed animal from a sand bank into deeper water after an almost hour-long rescue effort on Tuesday near the coastal town of Ardrossan in South Australia state, The Associated Press.
“It was either sick or ... just tired,” said Core, who was visiting with his family from Gold Coast in Queensland state. “We definitely got it into some deeper water, so hopefully it’s swimming still.”
Core came across the unusual human-shark interaction while traveling around Australia with his wife Ash Core and their sons Parker, 11, and Lennox, 7.
Nash Core used his drone to shoot video of the writhing shark before he and Parker decided to help the trio who were struggling to move the shark into deeper water.
'My heart’s pounding’ “To be honest, I did have some thoughts about, oh, why am I going out here?” Core recalled on Thursday.
“As we were going out, my young son, Parker, turned to me and said ... ‘My heart’s pounding.’ I said, ‘Yeah, mine’s beating pretty fast too,’” Core added.
The three men had used crab rakes — a garden rake-like tool for digging small crabs from sand — to move the shark into deeper water by the time the father and son arrived.
Core said he decided against pushing the shark himself.
“They ... got it into deeper water where I thought it’s probably not a good idea to go any further. That’s its territory and I’ll stay back,” he said.
Core said the rescuers later told him they’d never seen a beached shark before.
Macquarie University wildlife scientist Vanessa Pirotta said while shark strandings were not common, they were becoming more visible through social media.
There could be a number of reasons why marine animals like sharks might strand, including illness and injury. The shark could also have chased prey into the shallows, Pirotta said.
“If you see something like this, human safety comes first and foremost,” Pirotta said. “You can contact environmental authorities ... who will get someone appropriate to come and assist.”