Bacteria normally found in the mouth could play a direct role in triggering a heart attack, a new study has found.

In an examination of the arterial plaques collected from more than 200 patients with coronary artery disease, a team of scientists led by Tampere University in Finland found a surprisingly high percentage contained oral bacteria.

"Bacterial involvement in coronary artery disease has long been suspected, but direct and convincing evidence has been lacking," explains Tampere physician Pekka Karhunen. "Our study demonstrated the presence of genetic material – DNA – from several oral bacteria inside atherosclerotic plaques."

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Over the past few decades, a growing body of evidence has established

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