It’s commonly understood that dietary and oral hygiene choices can be connected to poor oral health and tooth loss. After all, if you eat a diet high in sugar and do not properly care for your teeth, they will not last long. But did you know that other health factors come into play when it comes to tooth loss? The past five years have brought forth some fascinating connections between tooth loss and high blood pressure. Here are four studies that bridge the gap between the two seemingly unrelated health conditions.

How can tooth loss and high blood pressure be related?

The relationship between the loss of teeth and high blood pressure appears to be bidirectional. That is, one influences the other. Tooth loss can lead to high blood pressure in the same way that high blood pressure can lead to tooth loss.

What makes this connection? We think of teeth as bone, and we don’t generally consider bone as something related to the blood. Teeth are a part of the skeleton. However, the inside of the tooth – the dentin – is filled with nerves and blood vessels. These blood vessels are no different from any other blood vessels in the body. They are just as affected by changes in blood pressure.

Damage to blood vessels in teeth that eventually lead to their loss may be the equivalent of the canary in the coal mine. It may signal the increased potential for high blood pressure.

New research into tooth loss and high blood pressure

Because the connection between the loss of teeth and high blood pressure is still new, research studies are relatively limited. The newest ones do point to a clear link between the two, though.

Here are four studies that illustrate how one condition contributes to the other.

1. Poor oral hygiene can lead to high blood pressure

In a study of 14,000 people, researchers in Korea found a clear link between the number of teeth and an increased chance of high blood pressure (also referred to as hypertension).

This study controlled for contributing factors such as age, sex, income, education, smoking, drinking, diabetes mellitus, obesity, and hypercholesterolemia. It also found that women over 60 years were more likely to lose teeth and have high blood pressure.

2. Poor oral health can make controlling blood pressure challenging

A study by the American Heart Association found that the inflammation of periodontal disease made controlling dangerously high blood pressure challenging. Patients with periodontal disease had a 20% less chance of successfully controlling their high blood pressure. While this study does not point directly to high blood pressure and tooth loss, it underscores the challenges of managing one condition due to the other.

Lead investigator Davide Pietropaoli, D.D.S., Ph.D., of the University of L’Aquila in Italy noted that:

“Physicians should pay close attention to patients’ oral health, particularly those receiving treatment for hypertension, and urge those with signs of periodontal disease to seek dental care…Likewise, dental health professionals should be aware that oral health is indispensable to overall physiological health, including cardiovascular status.”

3. Postmenopausal women with tooth loss are more likely to develop high blood pressure

A study of nearly 37,000 postmenopausal women found a clear connection between the number of teeth and the likelihood of high blood pressure. The results, published in the American Journal of Hypertension, found a 20% increased chance of hypertension in women over a 17-year period when tooth loss was present.

Senior author of the research findings, Jean Wactawski-Wende noted that:

“These findings suggest tooth loss may be an important factor in the development of hypertension…Further research may help us to determine the underlying mechanisms by which these two common diseases are associated.”

Interestingly, this study found no clear association between periodontal disease and hypertension – just actual tooth loss and high blood pressure.

The researchers suggest that a move towards softer and more processed foods as teeth are lost may contribute to the development of high blood pressure, but it’s clear that more research is needed.

4. When it comes to tooth loss and high blood pressure, BMI matters

Another smaller study found that not only was tooth loss connected with high blood pressure, but a higher body-mass index also pointed to an increased risk of both. The higher the BMI, the greater the chance of tooth loss occurring with high blood pressure.

As many factors relating to tooth loss along with high blood pressure can be traced to a diet high in fat and sugar and a sedentary lifestyle, it makes sense that a higher BMI plays a role.

A review of recent studies

A review of literature also suggests that inflammation may be the bridge that connects the loss of teeth and high blood pressure. Even if the study above did not clearly link periodontal disease with high blood pressure, it is clear that the inflammation that causes it may lead blood pressure to rise.

Vascular inflammation has been increasingly connected to a progression of high blood pressure. As periodontal disease is a condition that comes with chronic inflammation, research continues to connect these two through a variety of high-quality studies.

Does treating tooth loss help with high blood pressure?

So what’s the TL:DR for all of the research? The research is clear: treating tooth loss and all of the conditions that lead up to it may help prevent high blood pressure (and manage the condition in those who have it).

Pietropaoli from the American Heart Association study points out that:

“Patients with high blood pressure and the clinicians who care for them should be aware that good oral health may be just as important in controlling the condition as are several lifestyle interventions known to help control blood pressure, such as a low-salt diet, regular exercise and weight control.”

AZ Dentist is your family dentist in Arizona. If you are worried about tooth loss, high blood pressure, or other health conditions, get in touch today for better oral health, today and for the future.

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