Bangalore: An initial study done by the Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics at the V.S. Dental College and Hospital, Bangalore, with Narayana Hrudayalaya, has thrown up the possibility of a correlation between pulp stones in teeth and heart disease.

According to the pilot study conducted by a team of specialists from the hospital, led by Meena, Head of the department concerned, patients with cardiovascular disease are more likely to have pulp stones in their teeth.

This finding may encourage the use of low-radiation dental X-ray as a probable screening method for cardiovascular disease, said Usha Mohan Das, Principal and Head of the institution.

Dental pulp stones are calcified material found in the dental pulp chamber, the central portion of the tooth. The presence of pulp stones is normally associated with age and poor dental health. They contain organic material, upon which is deposited calcium, in the form of carbonate apatite, which is also the material found in kidney stones and calcified plaque in the vascular walls.

The study was conducted on 80 patients in the age group of 21 to 60 years, from Narayana Hrudayalaya undergoing treatment for blocks in the blood vessels (Arteriosclerosis) and it was found that 83.5 per cent of the patients had pulp stones in their teeth. Moreover, in the control group, only 30 per cent were found to have dental pulp stones.

"We are planning to follow the pilot with a larger study with around 3,000 patients all over India in collaboration with prominent hospitals. We have already got positive responses from Wockhardt Hospitals, St. John's Medical College and Hospital and Vijaya Hospital here," Dr. Usha told The Hindu .

The hospital had also applied for grants from the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RGUHS) and the Indian Council for Medical Research to conduct the all-India study, she said. "We are looking at introducing dental radiography as a screening method for heart disease, especially for patients who are at high risk, through the findings of this study. It could be a cheap alternative to other diagnostic tests for blocked blood vessels," Dr. Usha added. This finding, which was presented at a national conference of the Federation of Operative Dentists of India in Mumbai last week, was selected as the best paper at the event.

The cause for formation of dental pulp stones may be interference in the blood and nutrition supply. But a recent study by U.S. researchers has found micro organisms called nanobacteria to be responsible for these pulp stones and also for calcified plaque in the arteries of the heart.

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