CORRELATION BETWEEN CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES AND TOOTH LOSS IN THE BRAZILIAN POPULATION: AN ECO-INFODEMIOLOGY STUDY

Abstract

Objective: Chronic inflammation is a shared pathway linking oral diseases and cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and tooth loss has been proposed as a marker of cumulative inflammatory burden. This eco-infodemiological study aimed to evaluate correlations between self-reported CVD and tooth loss in Brazilian population. Materials and Methods: Data from the 2019 National Health Survey (“Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde” - PNS) was collected. Pearson correlation was used to assess correlation between cardiovascular outcomes and two exposure definitions: adults who lost all teeth and adults who lost ≥13 teeth. The Brazilian states were considered the unit of analysis. Results: Mild to moderate and significant correlations were found between total edentulism and CVD with functional limitations (R = 0.533; p = 0.004) and between total edentulism and CVD with prior surgery (R = 0.392; p = 0.043). Tooth loss of ≥13 teeth also correlated with CVD with functional limitations (R = 0.388; p = 0.046), although no significant association emerged for CVD with surgery (R = 0.311; p = 0.114). For broader CVD (without limitations or surgery), significant correlations persisted for total edentulism (R = 0.403; p = 0.037), but not for ≥13 teeth (R = 0.345; p = 0.078). These patterns suggest that greater cumulative oral disease burden is moderately correlated with more severe CVD. Conclusions: Altogether, the findings support tooth loss, especially edentulism, as a potential marker of systemic vulnerability, due to the chronic inflammation process involved.