Tooth Loss Associated With Higher Risk for Heart Disease, Uppsala Universitet Reveals

For adults, losing teeth is bad enough, but tooth loss is also associated with several risk factors for heart disease, a large international study suggests. These heart disease-related risk factors include diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and smoking. For the study, researchers analyzed data from nearly 16,000 people in 39 countries who provided information about their remaining number of teeth and the frequency of gum bleeds. About 40 percent of the participants had fewer than 15 teeth and 16 percent had no teeth, while 25 percent reported gum bleeds.