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Overview
Recent articles from The New York Times,1 HealthDayNews,2 and the Detroit Free Press 3 have featured a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which identified an association between tooth loss and heart disease,the leading cause of death for Americans.
The CDC’s cross-sectional study, published in the December 2005 American Journal of Preventive Medicine, presented data from an ongoing telephone survey of over 40,000 adults (40 to 79 years old) on the self-reported incidence of heart disease and the extent of tooth loss due to caries or periodontal disease. After adjusting for some confounding factors, such as smoking status, diabetes, hypertension and other risk factors, the study found that a higher incidence of tooth loss was associated with a higher incidence of heart disease.
An association between heart disease and tooth loss does not mean that one condition causes the other. Well-controlled, blinded clinical studies would be required to establish a cause-and-effect relationship and to determine if preventing tooth loss by treatment or prevention of periodontal disease and caries may affect cardiovascular health.
Periodontal disease and caries are common dental problems that can lead to tooth loss if left untreated. The CDC study supports the importance of maintaining good oral health, promoting heart-healthy behaviors, and controlling risk factors for heart disease.
Dentists are encouraged to take thorough health histories, evaluate patients for oral diseases, and identify risk factors (e.g., smoking, advanced age, diabetes) that may predispose patients to oral diseases (e.g., periodontal disease, caries) that may lead to tooth loss. Dentists can also offer a valuable service by encouraging patients to quit smoking, measuring patients’ blood pressure to screen for hypertension and referring at-risk patients to their primary-care physician for a complete health assessment. Additional information on heart disease risk factors can be obtained from the American Heart Association  and the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure .
Footnotes
1 Bakalar N. Dental health: brush and floss (to save your heart, of course). Vital Signs, The New York Times, January 10, 2006.
2 HealthDay News. Fewer teeth may mean more heart woes. December 20, 2005. Available at: “http://www.healthday.com/view.cfm?id=529715”. Accessed Jan. 12, 2006.
3 New finding: loss of teeth tied to heart disease. Health section, Detroit Free Press, December 27, 2005. Available at: “http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051227/FEATURES08/512270366/1025/FEATURES”. Accessed Jan. 12, 2006.
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Science in the News is a service by the American Dental Association (ADA) to present current information about science topics in the news. The ADA is a professional association of dentists committed to the public's oral health, ethics, science and professional advancement; leading a unified profession through initiatives in advocacy, education, research and the development of standards. As a science-based organization, the ADA's evaluation of the scientific evidence may change as more information becomes available. Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Document Posted January 31, 2006
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