Are You at a Higher Risk of Tooth Loss? Sun City Dental Healthcare Expert Explains the Latest Research Results
Online, November 17, 2013 (Newswire.com) - Getting older comes hand-in-hand with a slew of physical challenges. Joints become stiff and creaky, skin sags and organs that used to work like clockwork become a little rusty. One of the challenges many Americans assume comes with aging is tooth loss, but this is not necessarily the case, according to a recent research article published in the Journal of Periodontology. "There are nine key risk factors for tooth loss," explains experienced Sun City dental expert, Dr. Kevin Gasser. "Some of these risk factors you can't do anything about, whereas others are wholly avoidable through good oral care and attention to your general health. Getting older doesn't necessarily need to see you in dentures… there are things Sun City residents can do to keep most if not all of their original pearly whites intact."
What are the risk factors you can't do anything about?
> Age, in particular, being older than 35
> Gender, in particular, being male
> Having rheumatoid arthritis
What are the risk factors you can prevent or do something about?
> Never going to the dentist and oral hygienist for regular preventative care
> Rarely brushing or flossing your teeth
> Being a smoker (presently or in the past)
> Having high blood pressure
> Having diabetes
> Having lost your front teeth to gum disease (the back teeth are surely to follow).
About the Risk Factor List
The risk factor list was compiled by Khalaf Al-Shammari (DDS, MS), a dentist and dental healthcare researcher at Kuwait's Ministry of Health. The research survey examined a sample of 1,775 adults who had undergone tooth extraction at 21 government run dental practices (randomly chosen), which represents a quarter of Kuwait's such dental clinics. The 1,775 patients who had partaken in the research project had a total of 3,694 teeth removed. 14 patients had every single one of their natural teeth pulled, presumably to make space for removable dentures.
What were the research findings? Sun City dental expert, Dr. Gasser, interprets...
The Number 1 Cause of Failing Teeth
"The Kuwaiti researchers found that the leading cause of tooth loss was gum disease; a pervasive oral bacterial infection of the gums and periodontal pockets surrounding the tooth roots," explains Dr. Gasser. "They found that the majority of patients who presented with this condition were older than 35 and were typically male. Additionally, 33% of the patients who had teeth pulled were either current smokers or had been smokers, although the researchers do note that the connection between gum disease and tobacco use would probably have been stronger had they conducted more thorough examination of smoking history, etc."
The Consequence of Poor Oral Hygiene and Dental Care
"The key cause of gum disease is poor oral hygiene and dental care, so it doesn't come as surprising to read that 40% of the patients taking part in this survey had never gone to the dentist for any kind of professional care," explains the Sun City dental expert. "A paltry 13% of the sample had seen the dentist in the six months prior to getting a tooth or teeth extracted. The majority of the patients - a staggering 60% - reported that they never brush their teeth, or only occasionally do so. Only 16% said that they brush their teeth twice a day, as is the standard recommendation of dentists around the world."
"These results really highlight the importance of regular and thorough oral hygiene care and maintenance," says Dr. Gasser. "In a survey of close to 2,000 people suffering from tooth loss and with 60% of these people never brushing their teeth or going to the dentist, there is a crystal clear connection!"
The Link Between Tooth Loss and Your General Health
Many of the Kuwaiti adults studied presented with other problems relating to general health. Almost 20% had type 2 diabetes, which is typically a result of a poor lifelong diet, habits such as smoking and poor oral hygiene. "The connection between diabetes and gum disease (and tooth loss) is well documented in medical literature," says the Sun City dental implants specialist, Dr. Kevin Gasser. "So these results come as no surprise."
"What many people may not realize is that gum disease is systemic in nature, which means that it affects more than just your mouth… it affects all the body's major organs and systems and can aggravate, if not lead to the development of other ailments. These ailments include cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, liver disease, respiratory disease, pregnancy complications, oral cancer and kidney disease."
To confirm this, the survey went on to note that more than 10% of the patients suffering tooth loss had high blood pressure, although this is a health link that warrants further research. A strong connection between tooth loss and rheumatoid arthritis was also noted.
Is This Relevant To Me?
The question now is whether this research project, which was carried out in Kuwait, holds any relevance for people living elsewhere in the world. According to the researchers, the results yielded by their survey are incredibly similar to most of the studies that are performed globally. "Statistics of tooth loss may vary from country-to-country, depending upon education and the availability of good medical and dental care, but the risk factors for tooth loss don't," explains Sun City dental expert, Dr. Gasser. "Bad oral hygiene, not seeing the dentist, smoking and general neglect are key risk factors for gum disease and gum disease leads to tooth loss."
About Dr. Gasser
Dr. Kevin Gasser is an experienced dental healthcare professional in Sun City with a demonstrated expertise in restorative work and the placement of dental implants. He has over 25 years' worth of private practice dental experience and 1500+ hours of additional education and training with an emphasis on dental implants procedures.
Dr. Gasser earned his Doctorate of Dental Surgery from the West Virginia University and is a graduate of the Misch International Implant Institute, the USC IV Sedation Certification Program, the Las Vegas Dental Implant Institute, the USC Advanced Bone Graft Program and the Dale Carnegie Training Center. This Sun City dentist is also a founding Board Member of Pentegra Dental Practice Management Company, Vice President of Business Development for EDT Learning, Inc. and Vice President of Healthcare for StormWind Studios. He is a Fellow in the International Congress of Oral Implantologists.
Contact Dr. Kevin Gasser
Gasser Dental Implant Center is located in Sun City, Arizona, just east of Boswell Hospital.
Kevin L. Gasser, D.D.S.
13000 N. 103rd Avenue, Ste. 76,
Sun City, AZ 85351
Phone: (623) 972-8217
Fax: (623) 972-1406
Dr. Kevin Gasser In Arizona: Operating Hours
Monday: 8:00am - 5:00pm
Tuesday: 8:00am - 5:00pm
Wednesday: 8:00am - 5:00pm
Thursday: 8:00am - 5:00pm
Website: www.drgasser.com
Contact number: (623) 972 8217