The association between permanent teeth loss and cardiovascular disease in Latin-American and African-American populations

Abstract

Introduction: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most common cause of death and disability in developed countries. Recently, several studies have reported a close association between CVDs and oral health. There are no studies that focus on studying this association in Latin-American and African-American populations. Objectives: To investigate the association between loss of permanent teeth due to gum disease and tooth decay and CVD in North Miami, in Miami-Dade County, a city composed of 95% Latin-American and African-American populations. Materials and methods: We analysed the North Miami-Dade County Benchmark Survey data, a cross-sectional survey conducted between 2010 and 2011. The population-based random sample consisted of 2200 single-family homes, of which 1845 answered a general health survey via face-to-face interviews. Households were categorized as having CVDs if at least one member had been diagnosed with hypertension, heart attack or any heart disease. Binomial logistic regression was used to model the relationship between loss of permanent teeth and CVDs while adjusting for other predictors. Results: Households where members have lost permanent teeth were two times more likely to develop CVDs than households where members have not lost permanent teeth [adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=2.0; 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.5 to 2.3]. As the educational attainment of the head of the household increases, the odds of developing CVDs= significantly decrease (AOR=0.5; 95% CI=0.3 to 0.8 and AOR=0.5; 95% CI=0.3 to 0.9 and AOR=0.4; 95% CI=0.2 to 0.7). Households where at least one member was a former smoker or current smoker were more likely to be diagnosed with CVDs than non-smoking households (AOR=1.5; 95% CI=1.06 to 2.07 and AOR=1.4; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.2, respectively). Conclusions: Our findings show that there is a significant association between loss of permanent teeth and CVDs. It is important to create awareness in this population about the importance of oral health and how it can affect CVDs. Future studies should focus on improving oral hygiene in this population. Acknowledgements: We are grateful to Professor Suliman Aba Al-Khail Rector of Al-Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University. In addition, a special thanks to our Dean of the Medical College of Al-Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University, Dr Khalid al-Gumaizy. We want to thank the biostatistician Pura Rodriguez and the whole staff for helping us to carry out our research.