Poor dental health, especially tooth loss, is associated with several established cardiovascular risk factors.
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Things including diabetes, smoking, blood pressure, obesity and other novel risk factors, are heightened by poor dental health, according to research just published.
Commenting on the study, Professor Robin Seymour from the Simplyhealth Advisory Research Panel – ShARP notes: “Although several studies have proposed a link between periodontal disease and coronary heart disease, knowledge about periodontal disease in patients with established heart disease is lacking.
"Researchers in this study investigated the prevalence of self-reported tooth loss and occurrence of gum bleeds as surrogate markers of periodontal disease and their relation to cardiovascular risk factors in high-risk patients with coronary heart disease participating in the ongoing STABILITY study, a global clinical trial evaluating the anti-atherosclerosis drug darapladib.
“At the start of the study, 15,828 study participants from 39 countries reported their remaining number of teeth, categorized as: none, 1-14, 15-19, 20-25 or 26-32, and frequency of gum bleeds: never/rarely, sometimes, often or always. Approximately 40 percent of participants had fewer than 15 teeth and 16 percent had no teeth; 25 percent of subjects reported gum bleeds.
“For every decrease (see categorization above) in number of teeth category, the study found increasing levels of an enzyme that increases inflammation and promotes hardening of the arteries, as well as an increase in other cardiac risk markers including "bad" cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure and waist circumference.
“Participants with fewer teeth also had higher probability of having diabetes, with the odds increasing by 11 percent for every decrease in number of teeth category. Bleeding gums were associated with higher levels of bad cholesterol and blood pressure.
“The nature of the link between periodontal disease is unclear. Whether common risk factors such as systemic inflammation cause both conditions or periodontal disease causes cardiovascular disease is uncertain.
“What is clear is that people can reduce their risk of periodontal disease by regularly visiting the dentist. Check-ups and treatment for periodontal disease may also reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. As a result, it is vital for people to go through basic periodontal screening (BPE) at least once a year so that a thorough inspection of periodontal tissues can be achieved.”
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