For fifteen years, it has been shown that poor oral health was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Now, for the first time, a new Swedish study establishes a direct link between the number of teeth and heart problems.
The Swedish study will be published in the Journal of Periodontology. One of the study authors, Anders Holmlund, says: "Cardiovascular disease and in particular coronary heart disease is closely related to the number of teeth."
7,671 people participated in the study. A majority of them had dental problems. Participants were followed for 12 years. 629 of them died during the study and researchers examined their causes of death.
Dr. Holmlund goes on to write that "A person with fewer than 10 of their own teeth has a seven times higher risk for death by coronary heart disease than a person of the same age and of the same sex with more than 25 teeth left."
He adds that the number of natural teeth a person had left "could reflect how much chronic inflammation one has been exposed to in a lifetime."
According to the World Health Organization, more than 17 million people die each year due to heart disease.