Tooth Loss
Tooth Loss
10 Tooth Loss Risk Factors
According to a study, you may be able to prevent tooth loss to some extent. Nine variables for periodontal disease-related tooth loss are listed by dental professionals in the Journal of Periodontology.
10 Tooth Loss Risk Factors
Here is what’s on the list:
- Being over 35 years old
- Being a man
- Never receiving dental care from a professional
- Never brushing your teeth
- Smoking (current or past)
- Substance abuse
- Being a diabetic
- An elevated blood pressure
- A rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis
The tenth discovery was that back teeth were less likely to be lost to gum disease than front (anterior) teeth.
Some of those elements, like your age and sex, won’t change. However, certain things are largely up to you, like whether you wash your teeth or smoke.
Primary Cause of Tooth Loss
The most common cause of tooth loss was gum disease (periodontal disease). The experts point out that it is one of the principal causes of tooth loss worldwide.
Men removed teeth at a higher rate than women. Patients over the age of 35 also experienced higher tooth loss.
Three out of ten patients were current or former smokers. The researchers emphasise that if more details about the patient’s smoking history and behaviours had been available, the correlation between smoking and tooth loss may have been higher.
Consequences of Substandard Dental Care
In a recent study on tooth loss, people who underwent tooth extraction were randomly chosen. 3,694 teeth were extracted from 1,775 individuals, which is the total. All fourteen patients had their teeth extracted.
Almost 40% of the patients said they had never received professional dental care.
Just 13% of people claimed to have received professional dental care in the six months prior to having a tooth extracted.
60% of patients admitted to never or seldom brushing their teeth. Only 16% of people said they brushed their teeth at least twice a day.
General Health and Tooth Loss
Many people also struggled with other health issues.
One in five people had type 2 diabetes. According to the experts, the link between gum disease and diabetes is “clearly known.”
Over one patient in ten had excessive blood pressure. The researchers point out that a prior study found a link between postmenopausal women’s high blood pressure and gum disease.
The researchers claim that, outside of that study, the relationships between gum disease and high blood pressure remain unclear.
The study also showed a direct relationship between gum disease-induced tooth loss and rheumatoid arthritis. The researchers note that this connection “is still not clearly established,”
No tests were performed to determine whether diabetes, hypertension, or arthritis contributed to tooth loss. The study only examines characteristics shared by the patients.
Worldwide Pattern?
Would the outcomes be the same around the world? According to the researchers, cases of tooth loss due to gum disease were “remarkably similar to most studies completed around the world.”