According to a research conducted by Indiana American Studies University School of Dentistry black men may be at increased risk for heart problems caused by the accumulation of dental plaque.researchers studied 128 black and white women and men and found that the accumulation of plaque no change in the total number of white blood cells, cause a known risk factor for heart problems. However, the accumulation of plaque in black men was associated with a significant increase in the activity of white blood cells, called neutrophils, an important component of the immune system, researchers noted. None of the study participants had periodontal (gum) disease. They were healthy people were asked to neglect their oral hygiene as part of the study, the study authors explain. According Kowolik a professor of periodontics "If you get a bacterial infection anywhere in the body, billions of neutrophils come flooding out of your bone marrow to defend against the intruder. Our observation that with poor dental hygiene, white blood cell activity increased in black men but not black women or whites of either sex suggests both gender and racial differences in the inflammatory response to dental plaque. This finding could help us identify individuals at greater risk for infections anywhere in the body including those affecting the heart,"