Gum disease in children is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular complications in adulthood, according to a new Danish study of more than half a million children.
Researchers analyzed data from 568,778 children born between 1963 and 1972 using records from the Danish Health Authority’s National Child Odontology Register (SCOR). They compared those records with cardiovascular disease data from the National Patient Register from 1995 to 2018, by which time participants were between 30 and 56 years old.
The researchers identified several key patterns:
- Children with numerous tooth cavities had up to a 45% higher incidence of cardiovascular disease in adulthood compared with children with few cavities.
- Children with severe gingivitis had up to a 41% higher incidence.
- The figures varied by sex, but the overall trend was consistent across both groups.
- The incidence appeared to increase as dental problems worsened throughout childhood.
‘Exposure to high levels of inflammation’
The study examined statistical correlations and did not investigate causation. However, researchers suggest inflammation may help explain the association.
“We suspect that exposure to high levels of inflammation in the form of gum disease and dental caries already in childhood may influence how the body later responds to inflammation,” says Nikoline Nygaard, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Odontology and one of the study’s authors.
Related: Complete oral refusal in a pediatric patient following general anesthetic for dental surgery
Lifestyle impact
In a separate study, Nygaard and her colleagues examined the relationship between oral health and type 2 diabetes and found a similar pattern. Children with severe gum disease had up to an 87% higher incidence of type 2 diabetes, while those with multiple cavities had a 19% higher incidence.
Because lifestyle is known to influence both cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes risk, researchers adjusted their analyses for educational level, which is generally associated with overall health outcomes.
“We cannot rule out that lifestyle plays an important role. But even after adjusting for educational level, the incidence of cardiovascular disease is still quite marked,” Nygaard says.
Meanwhile, a study published in January found that longevity appears to be about 50% heritable, similar to many other human traits. The researchers also concluded that lifestyle continues to play a significant role. The remaining variation in lifespan was attributed to a combination of random biological factors and environmental influences.