A new study from King’s College London has found that getting a successful root canal treatment might do more than just save your tooth—it could also help protect your heart and improve your blood sugar levels.
This research is the first of its kind and shows how dental care could play a much bigger role in keeping the whole body healthy.
The study focused on a common dental infection called apical periodontitis, which occurs when the tissue around the tip of a tooth’s root becomes infected.
If left untreated, this infection can allow bacteria to enter the bloodstream, which may cause inflammation throughout the body. Inflammation is linked to many serious health problems, including heart disease and difficulty controlling blood sugar in people with diabetes.
Researchers followed 65 patients at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust for two years after they received root canal treatment. During this time, they closely monitored changes in the patients’ blood.
Using a special method called nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, they looked at how the body processed sugar and fats and how it responded to infection and healing.
The results were surprising. The study showed that patients who had successful root canal treatment experienced significant improvements in several important areas of health. Their blood sugar levels dropped over the two-year period, which is crucial for reducing the risk of developing diabetes.
Their cholesterol and fatty acid levels also improved shortly after the treatment, which supports better heart health. Even more, markers of inflammation in the blood decreased over time. These changes suggest that healing the dental infection helped reduce inflammation in the body as a whole.
Another important finding was that bacteria from infected teeth may influence the body’s metabolism far beyond the mouth. In other words, oral infections could affect how the body handles sugar and fat, making dental infections a serious risk for overall health.
Dr. Sadia Niazi, the lead author of the study, said that these findings show the importance of looking at dental care as part of a bigger picture. “Our findings show that root canal treatment doesn’t just improve oral health—it may also help reduce the risk of serious health conditions like diabetes and heart disease,” she explained.
Dr. Niazi also emphasized that infections from untreated root canals can cause bacteria to travel into the bloodstream, leading to increased blood sugar and fat levels, as well as dangerous inflammation.
She stressed the need for early treatment and better cooperation between dentists and general doctors. Monitoring blood markers such as glucose, triglycerides, and a protein called tryptophan could help doctors understand how well a person is recovering and whether they are at risk for other diseases.
In conclusion, this study suggests that taking care of your teeth can help more than just your smile. A successful root canal might help prevent serious health problems by lowering inflammation and improving how your body handles sugar and fat.
While more research is needed to confirm these findings in larger groups of people, this study opens the door to new ways of thinking about dental and overall health. It shows that good dental care can truly be part of a healthy lifestyle.
If you care about heart disease, please read studies that herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm, and how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies that apple juice could benefit your heart health, and results showing yogurt may help lower the death risks in heart disease.
The study is published in Journal of Translational Medicine.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
