“I love my teeth and my smile. The work was done very softly and pleasant, and Dr. Gross and his team really cared and even worked on “odd” hours as I was a bit pushed for time leaving USA for Europe. Thank you Dr. Gross – Thank you Renee and the rest of the team – You are great!”

- Pernilla

If you are losing your teeth, you might want to start paying closer attention to your cardiovascular health. The latest research continues to support a progressive link between heart disease risk and tooth loss - even among non-smokers.

Dr. Catherine Okoro, an epidemiologist in the Division of Adult and Community Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, led a study that analyzed data from more than 40,000 respondents aged 40-79. This study concluded that heart disease was present in 4.7 percent of respondents with no tooth loss, 5.7 percent of those missing 1-5 teeth, 7.5 percent missing 6-31 teeth and 8.5 percent with total tooth loss.

The study adjusted for sex, race, ethnicity, education level, marital status, diabetes, tobacco use, alcohol consumption, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and body mass index. A correlation between tooth loss and heart disease remained even with respondents that had never used tobacco.

The results of this study are consistent with those of previous studies linking periodontal disease and tooth loss to an increased risk of atherosclerosis and heart attack.

The authors of the report are careful to point out that the results of this study cannot determine whether people with poor oral health are at greater risk for cardiovascular disease, only that the two conditions are related to one another.