Missing teeth predict incident cardiovascular events,diabetes,and death

Periodontitis,the main cause of tooth loss in the middle-aged and elderly,associates with the risk of atherosclerotic vascular disease. the objective was to study the capability of the number of missing teeth in predicting incident cardiovascular diseases (cvds),diabetes,and all-cause death. the national finrisk 1997 study is a finnish population-based survey of 8,446 subjects with 13 y of follow-up. dental status was recorded at baseline in a clinical examination by a trained nurse,and information on incident cvd events,diabetes,and death was obtained via national registers. the registered cvd events included coronary heart disease events,acute myocardial infarction,and stroke. in cox regression analyses,having ≥5 teeth missing was associated with 60% to 140% increased hazard for incident coronary heart disease events (p < 0.020) and acute myocardial infarction (p < 0.010). incident cvd (p < 0.043),diabetes (p < 0.040),and death of any cause (p < 0.019) were associated with ≥9 missing teeth. no association with stroke was observed. adding information on missing teeth to established risk factors improved risk discrimination of death (p = 0.0128) and provided a statistically significant net reclassification improvement for all studied end points. even a few missing teeth may indicate an increased risk of cvd,diabetes,or all-cause mortality. when individual risk factors for chronic diseases are assessed,the number of missing teeth could be a useful additional indicator for general medical practitioners. © international & american associations for dental research.