Tooth loss from gum disease: are you at risk?

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Male gender, smoking, inadequate oral hygiene and rheumatoid arthritis are among the factors associated with an increased risk of losing teeth because of periodontal disease, a study shows.

“Periodontal disease is a major reason for losing teeth as is generally known, but there are some factors that appear to increase one’s risk,” said study author Dr. Khalaf F. Al-Shammari, of Kuwait University in Jahra.

"These findings may help in educating the public about these factors that appear to increase their risk for losing their teeth and provide increased attention to avoiding such factors,” Al-Shammari added.

To investigate the factors associated with tooth loss due to disease, Al-Shammari and colleagues in Kuwait and Michigan recorded all extractions performed in 21 general dental practice clinics, one quarter of such clinics in Kuwait, over a 30-day period. They evaluated the various reasons for the extractions as well as the patients’ age and gender, medical and dental maintenance history.

During the month-long study period, 3,694 teeth were extracted from 1,775 patients, the researchers report in this month’s Journal of Periodontology.

Only about 30 percent of these patients lost their teeth because of periodontal disease, but these patients tended to lose more teeth—about three teeth each—than those whose teeth were extracted for other reasons, the report indicates.

Fourteen patients had all 28 teeth extracted and 12 did so due to periodontal disease.

Individuals 36 years of age and older were more than three times as likely to lose a tooth for periodontal reasons than were younger individuals. Men were more likely to lose a tooth for periodontal reasons than were women, the report indicates.

Those who reported past or current smoking were 56 percent more likely to lose a tooth for periodontal reasons than were non-smokers. The researchers also found that front teeth were three times more likely to be extracted than were back teeth.

Study participants who never underwent periodontal maintenance or who never used a toothbrush were also more likely to lose a tooth for periodontal reasons than were their peers. Nearly 60 percent of study subjects said they never brushed their teeth or did so irregularly.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis had a four-fold increased risk of losing a tooth because of periodontal disease, while those with diabetes mellitus had a nearly three-fold increased risk. High blood pressure was also associated with a higher risk of tooth loss due to periodontal disease, the report indicates.

“It’s worth noting that all of these factors have already been linked to periodontal disease development in the past, but this study also links them with the ultimate outcome of untreated dental diseases, which is tooth loss,” Al-Shammari told Reuters Health.

SOURCE: Journal of Periodontology, November 2005.

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