A leading New Zealand oral health expert is calling for gum disease to be recognised as a possible risk factor for heart disease.

Professor Greg Seymour, Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Otago, believes that the relationship between poor oral health and heart disease is one that should not be ignored.

His call for greater awareness about the link between oral health and heart disease is a result of a multidisciplinary, international collaborative study investigating the biological basis for such a link.

Co workers in this study included Associate Professor Mary Cullinan of the University of Otago and Professor Malcolm West and Dr. Pauline Ford from The University of Queensland, Australia.

"A relatively large number of epidemiological studies have shown a significant association between poor oral health and fatal coronary events", said Professor Seymour. "Our studies have provided strong evidence for a biological basis to such an association."

"If we are to reduce the morbidity and mortality of heart disease we need to take into account all the possible risk factors including adult oral health. We also need to  ensure that both the medical and dental professions, as well as the New Zealand public are aware of this association".

People with severe chronic peridontitis, which is a severe form of gum disease, are reported to have a significantly increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, including plaque build up in the arteries (atherosclerosis) and heart attack (myocardial infarction).