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Healthy teeth can mean more than a pretty smile

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS

How your teeth are faring as you age can also indicate how your heart is doing.

The idea of oral and heart health being connected has been proposed for more than a century.

Numerous studies have looked at how oral health affects overall health, and some have found an impact. One study showed periodontal disease is associated with atherosclerotic vascular disease and may be an early warning sign of diabetes. Another found gum disease and fewer teeth may be associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke.

Ongoing preliminary research is now finding that how your teeth fare as you age can indicate how your heart is doing.

The research – conducted by Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston – is the first to focus on tooth loss during midlife.

Previous research looked at cumulative tooth loss and included teeth lost in childhood and teen years due to cavities, trauma and even braces, according to researcher Dr. Lu Qi, professor of epidemiology at Tulane University.

In the ongoing research, Qi and his colleagues analyzed large studies of adults ages 45-69 who did not exhibit cardiovascular disease and self-reported the number of teeth they had. In a follow-up questionnaire, study participants reported recent tooth loss during an eight-year period. Researchers followed an incidence of cardiovascular disease among people with no tooth loss, one tooth lost and two or more teeth lost over 12 to 18 years.

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