Teeth and Longevity

Could having healthy teeth increase your odds of living longer?

A recent study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, looked into the oral health of 73 centenarians and their offspring. In the study, this information was compared with a group sample of children born at the same time as the centenarians, but who died before reaching this age. The purpose of the research was to determine whether or not oral health may be a “helpful marker for systemic health and healthy aging”.

Results revealed that centenarians had a lesser incidence of being edentulous (lacking teeth) compared to their counterparts.