Does Toothache Before a Dental Visit Associate with the Risk of a First Myocardial Infarction?

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Dental Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Ischemic heart disease can present with atypical symptoms, including orofacial pain, potentially delaying diagnosis and leading to unnecessary dental interventions.
• Orofacial symptoms associated with cardiac disease require careful evaluation to differentiate from primary dental issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the occurrence of toothache or other oral problems prompting dental visits before a first myocardial infarction (MI).
• To determine if seeking dental care for oral pain is associated with an increased risk of a subsequent MI.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study (PAROKRANK) involving 805 patients hospitalized for a first MI and 805 matched controls.
• Participants completed surveys on dental service use, focusing on reasons for their most recent dental visit, including toothache.
• Data included medical and oral examinations, panoramic radiography, and blood sampling.

Main Results:

• The mean time since the last dental visit was 1.08 years, with no significant difference between MI patients and controls.
• Routine dental examination was the reason for visit for 80.9% of responders.
• Toothache prompted dental visits in 11.5% of respondents (10.9% of patients, 12.1% of controls), with no statistically significant difference between groups (p = 0.59).

Conclusions:

• Seeking dental care for toothache was not found to be associated with an increased risk of a first myocardial infarction.
• The study suggests that orofacial pain prompting dental visits does not serve as a predictor for future cardiac events within the study's limitations.