http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/mp/7053715/teeth-linked-to-heart-disease/
People with dented smiles run a far greater risk of dying of heart disease than those who still have all their pearly whites, a Swedish researcher says.
Cardiovascular disease and, in particular, coronary heart disease was closely related to the number of teeth a person had, researcher Anders Holmlund said.
"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," Professor Holmlund said.
RELATED NEWS: PCOS may cause heart disease | Run to your heart's content
Although many studies published in the past 15 years had shown a link between oral health and cardiovascular disease, Professor Holmlund's study showed a direct relationship between cardiovascular disease and the number of teeth in a person's mouth.
The study, conducted with colleagues Gunnar Holm and Lars Lind, surveyed 7674 women and men, most suffering from periodontal disease, for an average of 12 years, and examined the cause of death of the 629 people who died during the period.
For 299 of the subjects, the cause of death was cardiovascular disease.
Professor Holmlund said the theory connecting teeth numbers and heart disease maintained that infections in the mouth and around the teeth could spill over to the systemic circulation system and cause a low-graded chronic inflammation, which was known to be a risk factor for heart attacks and other cardiovascular episodes.
The number of natural teeth a person had left "could reflect how much chronic inflammation one has been exposed to in a lifetime", he said.
The study had been limited by the fact that it had not been possible to adjust the results for socio-economic factors and to fully adjust them according to other cardiovascular risk factors.
Heart disease is the number one killer worldwide, claiming more than 17 million lives every year, according to the World Health Organisation.
