Radiographic Assessment of Dental Health in Middle-aged Men Following Sudden Cardiac Death

• Published in: Journal of dental research Vol. 85; no. 1; pp. 89 - 93
• Main Authors: Karhunen, V., Forss, H., Goebeler, S., Huhtala, H., Ilveskoski, E., Kajander, O., Mikkelsson, J., Penttilä, A., Perola, M., Ranta, H., Meurman, J.H., Karhunen, P.J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States SAGE Publications 01.01.2006; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Adult; Age Factors; Aged; Alveolar Bone Loss - diagnostic imaging; Body Mass Index; Cadaver; Coronary Disease - complications; Death, Sudden, Cardiac - etiology; Dental Restoration, Permanent; Dentistry; Furcation Defects - diagnostic imaging; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Mouth, Edentulous - diagnostic imaging; Oral Health; Periapical Diseases - diagnostic imaging; Periodontal Pocket - diagnostic imaging; Radiography, Panoramic; Risk Factors; Smoking; Tomography, X-Ray; Tooth Loss - diagnostic imaging; dental; myocardial infarction; coronary heart disease; sudden cardiac death; panoramic tomography; autopsy; male; middle-aged
• ISSN: 0022-0345; 1544-0591
• DOI: 10.1177/154405910608500116

Poor oral health has been suggested to be a risk factor for myocardial infarction. To study if dental pathology might predispose to pre-hospital sudden cardiac death, and using a sum index of panoramic tomography findings, we compared the oral health of middle-aged (33–69 yrs) male victims (Helsinki Sudden Death Study) of sudden cardiac death (n = 117) with that of controls, who died of non-cardiac diseases (n = 63) or suffered unnatural sudden death (n = 120). The mean number of teeth was 15.2, and 17.4% of the men were edentulous. Frequent age-associated findings in dentate victims were fillings (79.9%), horizontal bone loss (72.1%), periapical lesions (45.6%), residual roots (38.2%), and vertical pockets (30.9%). In multivariate analysis with coronary heart disease risk factors and number of teeth as covariates, poor oral health was associated (p = 0.053) with the risk of sudden cardiac death along with age, smoking, and body mass index. This association was especially strong (p = 0.009) among victims < 50 yrs.