Narrator: This is Science Today. Too often, people at risk of a stroke don't find out until it's too late. That's why a panoramic dental x-ray has the potential to become a valuable screening test in asymptomatic patients. Dr. Arthur Friedlander, an oral surgeon at UCLA, says although cardiologists have their own sophisticated tests, doctors limit these tests to those who are already presenting with early signs of impending stroke.

Friedlander: Whereas dentists see millions of patients each year, who believe, probably incorrectly, that they're free of the danger of an impending stroke. .

Narrator: If white spots show up on a patient's neck during this x-ray, that's plaque in the carotid artery, which can break off and cause a stroke. But there are other implications.

Friedlander: The disease process that's taking place in the neck, known as atherosclerosis, is also taking place in all the other blood vessels in the body.

Narrator: So, getting patients to the doctor sooner may also prevent future heart attacks. For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.