Toothless heart disease patients are nearly twice as
likely to die as those who have all their teeth, a
new study suggests. Gum disease is the most common
cause of tooth loss, and gum disease-related
inflammation is believed to play a role in the
narrowing of arteries, the researchers said. "While
we can't yet advise patients to look after their
teeth to lower their cardiovascular risk, the
positive effects of brushing and flossing are well
established. The potential for additional positive
effects on cardiovascular health would be a bonus,"
study lead author said. The study included more than
15,000 heart disease patients in 39 countries. They
were assessed for tooth loss and followed for an
average of 3.7 years. Those with the fewest teeth
were older, smokers, female, less active and more
likely to have diabetes, high blood pressure, more
body fat and a lower level of education, the study
found. During the follow-up, more than 1,500 major
events -- either cardiovascular death, heart attack
or stroke -- occurred, as well as 705 cardiovascular
deaths, 1,120 deaths from any cause, and 301
strokes. After adjusting for certain factors, the
researchers concluded that every increased level of
tooth loss was associated with a 6 percent increased
risk of major cardiovascular events, and a roughly
15 percent higher risk of cardiovascular death,
death from any cause and stroke. Compared to
patients with all their teeth, those with no teeth
had a 27 percent higher risk of major cardiovascular
events. The researchers also found toothlessness was
associated with an 85 percent higher risk of
cardiovascular death, 81 percent higher risk of
death from any cause, and a 67 percent higher risk
of stroke. The study only found a link, not a
cause-and-effect relationship, between dental health
and heart health. It was published Dec. 16 in the
European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. "The risk
increase was gradual, with the highest risk in those
with no remaining teeth," study author said. "For
example the risks of cardiovascular death and
all-cause death were almost double to those with all
teeth remaining. Heart disease and gum disease share
many risk factors such as smoking and diabetes but
we adjusted for these in our analysis and found a
seemingly independent relationship between the two
conditions," researcher explained. Among study
participants, around 16 percent had no teeth, and
roughly 40 percent were missing half of their teeth,
study author noted. "This was an observational study
so we cannot conclude that gum disease directly
causes adverse events in heart patients. But tooth
loss could be an easy and inexpensive way to
identify patients at higher risk who need more
intense prevention efforts," study author said. |