Sudden death culprit: Stroke, lowering the risk significantly just by doing 'this' in the bathroom

Using dental floss is really, really important.

A study has shown that regularly using dental floss can reduce the risk of stroke by up to 44%.

On the 30th of last month (local time), the American Heart Association announced preliminary research results to be presented at the 'International Stroke Conference 2025' held in Los Angeles from February 5 to 7.

This study is part of a large-scale community atherosclerosis risk research conducted in the United States, in which researchers from the University of South Carolina tracked the oral hygiene practices and various health factors of 6,278 participants over 25 years. The factors included flossing habits, hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, smoking, body mass index, education level, brushing frequency, and dental visit frequency. As a result, 434 individuals were diagnosed with stroke, of whom 147 had large artery cerebral thrombosis, 97 had cardiogenic thrombosis, and 95 had small artery sclerosis. Additionally, 1,291 participants experienced atrial fibrillation.

In particular, the higher the frequency of flossing, the greater the reduction in stroke risk. Among participants who regularly used floss, 4,092 did not experience a stroke, and 4,050 were not diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AFib), an irregular heartbeat. Their risk of ischemic stroke was 22% lower, the risk of cardioembolic stroke was 44% lower, and the risk of atrial fibrillation was 12% lower.

Dr. Sobuek Sen, head of the Department of Neurology at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, who led the research, stated, "Using dental floss can reduce oral infections and inflammation, promote healthy habits, and thereby lower the risk of stroke." He explained, "While flossing is not the only way to prevent stroke, it is an easy, cost-effective, and accessible healthy habit that can be practiced anywhere."

However, the researchers noted that the study results were based on participants' responses to the questionnaire and that the 25-year follow-up focused only on stroke and heart disease. The average age of the study participants was 62 years old.

Reporter Moon Ye-bin (muu@sedaily.com)