A study by Dr. Lu Qi of Tulane University in New Orleans has recently been published and it’s findings have concluded that middle aged tooth loss may illustrate an increased risk of heart disease.

Dr. Qi presented these findings at the American Heart Association conference in 2018. His study indicated that a loss of one tooth didn’t increase the risk of heart disease much, but the loss of two of more teeth increased the risk of heart disease 16% compared to those who did not lose any teeth at all. This is regardless of the number of teeth the participants started with. The findings were even greater among those in the 25 to 32 age range. If they lost two or more teeth, their risk increased 23% compared to those who didn’t lose any teeth.

It is still unclear as to why there may be a link between these two things. Dr. Russell Luepker, an American Heart Association spokesperson, has theorized that perhaps this may be a socioeconomic issue, where there may be advantages to those people who can afford good healthcare and dental insurance. He was seemed skeptical, calling the relationship between tooth loss and increased risk of heart disease “modest.”

Losing teeth is more than a dental problem; it could put you on track for cardiac concerns. 

w

Key Points:

• You must have lost more than two teeth recently for the risk of cardiovascular disease to increase.
• The availability of dental insurance plays a role in whether you lose or repair teeth.
• The connection between tooth loss and heart disease is established, but not well understood.

Among adults with 25 to 32 natural teeth at the beginning of the study, those who lost two or more teeth during follow-up had a 23 percent increased risk of coronary heart disease compared with those who didn’t lose any teeth.