Abstract
Objective. The relationship between oral health and cardiovascular disease is an emerging area of research. The objective of the current study is to evaluate the association of cardiovascular disease and the number of missing teeth as a risk indicator. Methods. Cross-sectional study design with data on 275,424 respondents aged 50 or older from the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey was used. The dependent variable was self-reported cardiovascular disease. The association between the number of missing teeth and cardiovascular disease was analyzed with multivariable logistic regression. The regression was adjusted for sex, race/ethnicity, age, education, income, dental visits, smoking status, physical activity, and body mass index. Results. In our study sample, 9.9% reported edentulism. Cardiovascular prevalence rates for those with edentulism were 25.4% and for those without any missing teeth were 7.5%. Respondents who reported edentulism teeth were more likely to report cardiovascular disease (AOR = 1.85, 95% CI = 1.71, 2.01). Conclusion. There was an independent association between the number of missing teeth and cardiovascular disease even after controlling for a comprehensive set of risk factors. These findings highlight the need to explore the potential role the number of missing teeth have in the risk of cardiovascular disease among older adults.