A study by Dr Liam Smeeth and colleagues from University College London used data from the US Medicaid insurance database to examine the impact of invasive dental treatment.
They looked at patients with discharge diagnoses of ischaemic stroke or MI and then examined which of these patients had undergone invasive dental procedures.
The researchers found that vascular events were 50 per cent more likely to occur in the four weeks after invasive dental treatment. This excess risk decreased after four weeks, returning to baseline at six months after dental treatment.
Dr Smeeth and colleagues said the mechanisms behind this association were uncertain.
But they added: 'The short-lived adverse effects are nevertheless likely to be outweighed by long-term benefits of invasive dental treatment to vascular health.'
