Your hourly fact checks

All English Fact Checks

The No. 1 cause of h...: The No. 1 cause of heart attacks is a tooth treated for a root canal. There’s no credible scientific evidence that having a root canal can cause a heart attack, according to endodontists and cardiologists. But social media posts claiming there’s a causal link between the two are perpetuating a century-old myth. The claims, which amassed thousands of likes on Facebook this week, were made in a video featuring a narrator who says “the No. 1 cause of heart attack is a root canal treated tooth, plain and simple, not correlation, not link, cause and effect.” The video references a highly criticized 2019 documentary. “There’s no scientific evidence to suggest that root canals are linked to heart attacks or other diseases such as cancer,” according to Dr. Michael Reddy, dean of the school of dentistry at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Stefan Zweig, president of the American Association of Endodontists, agreed, saying, “There is no credible evidence that having root canal therapy can cause a heart attack.” The false claim stems from 1920s research that “has since been disproved through controlled research studies,” Reddy said. A researcher at the time believed bacteria stuck in dentinal tubules during root canal treatment could “leak,” causing disease in other parts of the body, according to the American Association of Endodontists. As a result, he advocated for the infected teeth to be removed, rather than repaired and preserved with a root canal procedure. However, his research techniques were quickly criticized and were disproved by better-designed studies in the 1930s, according to the AAE. The Journal of the American Dental Association laterreviewed and further discreditedthe 1920s research. Root canal treatments – which involve removing inflamed or infected tissue from inside the tooth, cleaning the space and filling it to prevent bacteria from re-entering – help the mouth get rid of an infection. These procedures are safe while allowing the patient to keep their tooth, Zweig said. Cardiologists confirmed there’s no link between root canal treatments and heart attacks. “That’s a myth, that’s a legend,” said Dr. Matthew Martinez, director of sports cardiology at Atlantic Health System in Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey. Instead, he said, heart attacks result from a blockage in a coronary artery. Coronary artery disease most often causes such a blockage. That frequently results from poor control of risk factors such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, obesity and sedentary lifestyle, he said. (Source: Associated Press - AP News)

False: "Scientists struggle to understand why Antarctica hasn’t warmed for over 70 years despite rise in CO2." A scientific study examined how Antarctica’s high elevation and mountains help insulate the continent from climate change’s effects at a much slower rate compared with the rest of the world.  The study has been used out of context to deny human-driven climate change’s existence.  Recent studies have shown the continent is warming. (Source: PolitiFact)

False: Video shows 'death caskets' for prepared mass extinction Fact check: Mass extinction caskets are a myth. Video shows burial vaults. "They have been preparing for Mass Extinction with these Death Caskets," reads on-screen text. Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunksOur rating: FalseThe video shows burial vaults sold by a company that creates funeral products. Video shows burial vaults for prearranged funeralsThe video has circulated on the internet since at least 2008 when YouTube users claimed it showed coffins at a camp owned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. (Source: USA Today)

Altered: Video shows Joe Biden ignoring Rishi Sunak Fact check: Video altered to show Joe Biden ignoring British Prime Minister Rishi SunakShow Caption Hide Caption Joe Biden slams Kevin McCarthy's debt plan as deadline looms Speaker Kevin McCarthy called for negotiations to raise the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion as President Joe Biden slams the Republican plan. Claire Hardwick, USA TODAYThe claim: Video shows Joe Biden ignoring Rishi SunakAn April 12 Instagram video shows President Joe Biden disembarking a plane and greeting a group of officials on the tarmac. "Arriving in Belfast, the Biden (sic) did not recognize the Prime Minister of Great Britain and pushed the 'boy' away to salute the gray-haired military man," reads on-screen text. Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunksOur rating: AlteredThe clip of Biden greeting and shaking hands with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was removed from the video. The full, unedited footage shows Biden greeting and shaking hands with Sunak before turning and saluting the uniformed man beside him. (Source: USA Today)