Poor dental hygiene increases your risk of heart attacks and strokes according to two studies out this week, reports Agence France-Presse.

The number one killer in the world is heart disease, extinguishing 17 million lives every year according to World Health Organisation figures, and it is the leading cause of death in the US, England, Canada, Wales and New Zealand, where it accounts for 40 per cent of all deaths annually – 11,300 people.

Long before you retire and dementia sets in, heart disease is linked to lower mental skills scores in middle age, reports Web MD.

A new study followed 10,300 middle-aged British government workers from the mid 80’s through to 2004.

Regular checkups including health and lifestyle questions were involved during the study, and at the end participants took tests for reasoning, vocabulary, short term memory and verbal fluency.