Bad cholesterol levels were reduced by 50 percent and hs-CRP levels dropped 37 percent.

CNN: Study: Cholesterol drugs could help those with healthy levels

Apart from hs-CRP, scientists are looking at mouth bacteria as another possible link between gum disease and heart disease.

CNN: Brush your teeth, save your life?

Those with good cholesterol levels typically don't have their hs-CRP levels tested because there are no clear guidelines on who should be tested and how often.

CNN: Study: Cholesterol drugs could help those with healthy levels

But he suggested that before changing any guidelines, more research needs to be done to determine the effectiveness of testing people for hs-CRP levels, something this study was not designed to do.

CNN: Study: Cholesterol drugs could help those with healthy levels

The study's statistician, Harvard University's Robert Glynn, estimates that about 250, 000 heart attacks, strokes, hospitalizations and cardiac deaths could be prevented over five years if people with good cholesterol and high hs-CRP levels were taking statins.

CNN: Study: Cholesterol drugs could help those with healthy levels