Association between tooth loss and hypertension: A cross-sectional study

CONTEXT: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are one of the leading causes of premature deaths among noncommunicable disease. Hypertension increases the risk of cardiovascular events. In addition to well-known risk factors for hypertension like obesity, lack of physical activity, studies have shown independent association between tooth loss and increased blood pressure and stroke. However, the relevant literature is not conclusive.

AIMS: Aim of our study was to investigate the association between tooth loss and increased blood pressure among adult patients.

METHODS AND MATERIAL: A cross-sectional study among 270 adults aged 20-59 years was conducted. The dependent variables were systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). The main exploratory variable was the number of self-reported natural teeth for each dental arch. They were recorded as 10 or more natural teeth, less than 10 natural teeth, and no natural teeth. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, ANOVA, and multiple linear regression analysis.

RESULTS: Mean SBP was 125.3 mmHg and DBP was 78.9 mmHg. Moreover, 29.3% of participants had hypertension, 8.9% were edentulous, 22.8% had lost more than 10 teeth, and 68.3% had lost less than 10 teeth. Increased SBP was seen with increased tooth loss among participants. After adjusting for all covariates, no significant association between tooth loss and SBP and DBP was seen.

CONCLUSIONS: The mean SBP was higher among the participants who were edentulous than partially edentulous. However, there was no significant association between tooth loss and SBP and DBP after adjusting for confounding factors.