In a new study from Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, researchers found that adults who have lost teeth due to nontraumatic reasons may have a higher risk of developing heart disease.
Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death of men and women in the United States, and previous studies have linked heart disease with oral disease.
Oral disease is an inflammatory disease that frequently causes tooth loss due to the breakdown of periodontal tissue.
The causal association between oral disease and heart disease is not well known.
In the study, the team conducted a secondary analysis of the 2014 Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System that looked at tooth loss not caused by trauma, as well as heart attack, angina and/or stroke.
The study included 316,588 participants from the United States and territories between the ages of 40-79. Overall 8% were edentulous (had no teeth) and 13% had heart disease.
The percentage of people who had cardiovascular disease and no tooth was 28%, compared to only 7% 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 heart disease.
The results suggest that there is a relationship between dental health and cardiovascular health.
The team says 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 the risk of future heart disease.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about a major cause of heart attacks in women and findings of these 6 surprising signs may signal an unhealthy heart.
For more information about heart disease prevention and treatment, please see recent studies about your vitamin D levels linked to your heart and lung health and results showing that 8 things a leading cardiologist wants you to know about your heart.
The study was presented at the American College of Cardiology Middle East Conference. One author of the study is Hamad Mohammed Qabha, MBBS.
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