Flossing once a week could reduce the risk of suffering a stroke
The link is independent of regular brushing, routine dental visits or other oral hygiene behaviours.
Flossing teeth at least once a week is linked to a lower risk of stroke caused by blood clots and irregular heartbeats, a new study says.
The research, presented this week at the International Stroke Conference 2025, looks at how frequently people follow oral hygiene habits like brushing and dental flossing.
“A recent global health report revealed that oral diseases – such as untreated tooth decay and gum disease – affected 3.5 billion people in 2022, making them the most widespread health conditions,” said study lead author Souvik Sen, of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine.
“We aimed to determine which oral hygiene behaviour dental flossing, brushing or regular dentist visits has the greatest impact on stroke prevention.”
Using a structured questionnaire of more than 6,000 people, they found that among those who reported flossing, 4,092 had not experienced a stroke and 4,050 had not been diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat.
The researchers also found that the hygiene habit is associated with a 44% per cent lower risk of blood clots travelling from the heart and about 12% lower risk of irregular heartbeats. This link is independent of regular brushing, routine dental visits or other oral hygiene behaviours, they said.