SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) -A new study adds to a growing body of evidence that shows having healthy teeth and gums leads to better chances of having a healthy heart, unfortunately there are many Utahns who don't have access to a simple dental cleaning.
Donated Dental in Salt Lake City offers free or low cost dental care to Utahns who can’t otherwise afford it. Every day, a line of 75 to 80 people forms and names are put into a drawing. Only about thirty will be drawn out. The lucky will be treated by volunteer dentists from throughout the community. The rest are relegated to try again. The clinic is funded by donations, and those who work there understand they are not just giving people a better smile, they are providing a service that could potentially save lives.
A new study of 100,000 thousand people found those who had their teeth professionally cleaned had a 24 percent lower risk of heart attack and a 13 percent lower risk of stroke.
Jason Teerlink, DMD, says the mouth has been found to be an access point for bacteria in the bloodstream. “The bacteria in our mouth can get into our bloodstream and cause and inflammation that can spread from our mouth to our whole body and the heart and cardiovascular system is very susceptible to infection."
The study presented to the American Heart Association also showed the more infected teeth there were, the higher the risk for heart disease.
Since the recession began two years ago, the number of people donated dental is seeing with serious dental problems has tripled. “A lot of work that needs to be done, a lot of infection a lot of broken teeth, usually by then a lot of teeth that can't be saved."
Since dental benefits were dropped for adults of Medicaid, Donated Dental Director, Stephanie Jensen says the problem has only gotten worse. The ten thousand Utahns seen here every year pay the same price Medicaid once offered. “They are usually people who are working but still can't afford to go to a private dental office."
But those who volunteer here know they are only serving a small percentage of those who need dental help. They hope that as evidence grows showing the importance of dental health, on overall health, more funding will be made available in the future.
For more information on Donated Dental of Salt Lake visit:
www.donateddental.org 
