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Missing teeth and all-cause mortality in US adults
Paul I Eke1, Liang Wei2, Gina Thornton-Evans1
1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Periodontology 2000
|October 23, 2025
Summary
Complete tooth loss (edentulism) significantly increases mortality risk in US adults over age 30. Losing some teeth, but not all, showed no significant association with death risk.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Tooth loss is a prevalent issue among US adults.
- Associations between oral health and overall mortality require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between varying degrees of tooth loss and all-cause mortality.
- To determine if complete tooth loss (edentulism) is a significant predictor of mortality in US adults.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 8710 US adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) III (1988-1994).
- Linking baseline data to 2006 National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) mortality records.
- Statistical analysis of mortality rates based on baseline dentition status (fully dentate, partially edentulous, edentulous).
Main Results:
- Edentulism was significantly associated with increased all-cause mortality (HR=2.58, 95% CI: 1.81-3.69), even after adjustments (HR=1.45, 95% CI: 1.02-2.05).
- Individuals who were completely edentulous had a higher mortality rate (29.3/1000 person-years) compared to those with all teeth (9.9/1000 person-years).
- No significant association was found between mortality and losing some, but not all, teeth after covariate adjustment.
Conclusions:
- Complete tooth loss (edentulism) is a statistically significant predictor of all-cause mortality in US adults over 30.
- The risk of mortality associated with edentulism persists even after accounting for various confounding factors.
- Losing fewer than 28 teeth does not appear to be significantly linked to increased mortality risk in this population.
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