Lost Tooth May Mean Heart Disease

July 31, 2003 -- If you've lost a tooth, see your internist and your dentist. You likely have a twofold problem -- heart disease and gum disease.

Studies have linked periodontitis, aka gum disease, with heart attacks and stroke.

A new study, published in the August issue of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, suggests that tooth loss due to gum disease is a marker for plaque build-up in the arteries -- atherosclerosis.

The study had 711 participants -- blacks, whites, and Hispanics -- all age 55 and older. None had a history of heart disease or stroke. All received thorough dental and physical examinations, including ultrasound exams to detect plaque in their carotid arteries -- arteries in the neck.

Those with missing teeth had more plaque in their arteries. In fact, the amount of plaque increased with the number of missing teeth. Among those with nine or fewer missing teeth, 45% had carotid artery plaque. About 60% of those with 10 or more missing teeth had plaque buildup in the arteries. The link was more pronounced among those older than age 65.

Tooth loss likely indicates chronic infection or inflammation in the gums and may also indicate inflammation of the arteries, which may lead to atherosclerosis, writes lead researcher Moise Desvarieux, MD, PhD, an epidemiologist with the University of Minnesota Medical School.

The artery-damaging effects of gum disease may level off at some point, Desvarieux writes. But the effects may not be reversible without treatment.

SOURCES: Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, August 2003. News release, American Heart Association.