& Heart Disease in Panoramic X-Ray Films
A dentist can detect the warning signs of cavities, gum disease and -- perhaps -- stroke or heart attack.
Researchers this month reported evidence that panoramic dental X-rays -- which encircle the jaw -- might reveal whether carotid arteries are dangerously clogged. The carotids, found on each side of the neck, carry blood to the brain. When they're blocked, people can have strokes; but people can have narrowed arteries without feeling sick. Evidence is growing that dentists can see the buildup in the parts of arteries caught on a routine panoramic X-ray.
The latest research, presented in Washington at a meeting of the International Association for Dental Research, was conducted on 818 Pima Indians in Arizona. Researchers from the School of Dental Medicine at the State University of New York, Buffalo, said about 7.5 percent of the study group had clogged arteries visible on dental X-rays at the start of the study in 1983. By 1998, those with blockages were almost twice as likely to have died from heart attacks or strokes.
Dr. Williams note: This is just one of 40 different things we look for on your periodic panoramic X-ray film. Some are minor and some, like this article indicates, are major. If you have not had a panoramic film within 3-5 years, you may want to consider asking your dentist to take one.