Childhood oral health may be linked to a heightened risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adulthood, according to a large first-of-its-kind cohort study recently published in the International Journal of Cardiology.
Having severe tooth decay and gingivitis during childhood may be significantly associated with an elevated risk of ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, and ischemic stroke in adults, the authors wrote.
“These findings highlight the potential of early oral health interventions in reducing long-term cardiovascular risk,” wrote the authors, led by Dr. Nikoline Nygaard of the University of Copenhagen Department of Odontology in Denmark (Int J Cardiol, January 1, 2026).
Although adult oral health has been associated with CVD, the long-term effect of oral health in childhood hasn’t really been examined.
Therefore, to explore the link between tooth decay and gingivitis in childhood and the occurrence of atherosclerotic CVD in adulthood, a Danish cohort study that included 568,778 individuals born between 1963 and 1972 was conducted.
Oral health data from the National Child Odontology Registry (1972-1987) and atherosclerosis outcomes from the National Patient Register (1995-2018) were used for the study. Regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) for incident ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, and ischemic stroke, according to the study.
Severe childhood dental caries was linked to a heighted increase of atherosclerosis incidence in both men (HR: 1.32; 95 % CI: 1.18 to 1.50) and women (HR: 1.45; 95 % CI: 1.25 to 1.68). Additionally, high gingivitis scores forecasted an increased risk of atherosclerotic CVD (men: HR 1.21; 95 % CI: 1.10 to 1.32; women: HR 1.31; 95 % CI: 1.14 to 1.50), the authors wrote.
Disease trajectories with moderate to severe oral health deterioration were significantly associated with higher atherosclerotic CVD, they wrote.
Nevertheless, the study had multiple limitations, including that the researchers couldn’t account for dental health in adulthood. Though there are limited studies investigating the correlation between childhood and adulthood oral health, it is believed that adults’ oral health is based on childhood hygiene and dietary habits, the authors wrote.
“Our results suggest that the impact of childhood oral health on adulthood risk of ASCVD (atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease) is worth investigating further, as it opens a new line of enquiry in understanding the complex causes underlying the development of ASCVD, and potentially provides new avenues of early detection and prevention of ASCVD,” Nygaard and colleagues wrote.
