Elevated Coronary Artery Calcium scores are associated with tooth loss.
H C M DondersL M IJzermanM SoffnerA W J van 't HofB G LoosJ de LangePublished in: PloS one (2020)
This study showed that being edentulous or missing teeth is correlated to higher CAC scores however failed to be an independent predictor of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. The number of (missing) teeth is an easily accessible marker and could be used as a marker for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ACVD) risk by almost any healthcare worker. The current study needs to be considered as an explorative pilot study and could contribute to the design of further (prospective) studies on the relationship between dental pathology and coronary artery calcification by adding clinical information and extra cardiovascular biomarkers.