Tooth loss linked to higher risk of heart disease

Researchers have found that adults who have lost teeth due to non-traumatic reasons might have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD).

"If a person's teeth fall out, there may be other underlying health concerns. Clinicians should be recommending that people in this age group receive adequate oral health care to prevent the diseases that lead to tooth loss in the first place and as potentially another way of reducing risk of future cardiovascular disease," said study lead author Hamad Mohammed Qabha, MBBS from Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University.

The causal association between oral disease and cardiovascular disease is not well known, so researchers in this study conducted a secondary analysis of the 2014 Behaviour Risk Factor Surveillance System that looked at tooth loss not caused by trauma, as well as cardiovascular disease, including heart attack, angina and stroke.

The study included 316,588 participants from the US and territories between the ages of 40-79.

Overall eight per cent were edentulous (had no teeth) and 13 per cent had cardiovascular disease.

The percentage of people who had cardiovascular disease and were edentulous was 28 per cent, compared to only seven per cent who had cardiovascular disease but did not have missing teeth.

In addition to edentulous participants, those who reported having one to five missing teeth or six or more, but not all, missing teeth were also more likely to develop cardiovascular disease, even after adjusting for other factors such as body mass index, age, race, alcohol consumption, smoking, diabetes and dental visits.

The study was scheduled to be presented at the ACC Middle East Conference 2019 together with the 10th Emirates Cardiac Society Congress on October 3-5 in Dubai.