It’s typically thought that commonly-known conditions such as high cholesterol level, habitual smoking, inflammation, and blood pressure constitute to the main factors linked to cardiovascular disease. However, this study found that
oral health issues like periodontal disease and tooth loss at a later stage in life may actually be bigger factors. This research, without a doubt, has been able to establish that there is a link between teeth loss and coronary heart failures.
The researchers conducted their study of middle-aged adults (ages 45 to 69) over an 8-year research timeline. None of the adults in the study had a cardiovascular disease before the research commenced and they were to report back to the researchers if they suffered any tooth loss during the 8-year period for relevant documentation of their remaining natural teeth to be done.
The findings of the study showed that those who lost only one tooth were not at a high risk of developing a cardiovascular disease during the eight-year timeline. Those that lost two or more teeth during the same period faced a twenty-three percent increase in the chances of acquiring a cardiovascular disease. A very different case scenario was seen for those who had fewer than 17 natural teeth; they had a twenty-five percent increased chance of developing a coronary condition. The study also showed a 16 percent comparison between those who lost two or more teeth and those who did not lose any teeth during the 8-year study period.
The study revealed the seriousness of
oral health and hygiene and why it is important for qualified medical practitioners to start taking into consideration the
oral health of their patients. Tooth loss and other oral changes in a patient can now be a sign that there may be other vital problems that need checking immediately. In the case of the patients in the study, the research surprisingly showed that keeping fit, hitting the gym, maintaining a healthy diet and low body fat did not reduce the chances of getting cardiovascular disease.