Edentulism tied to greater risk for high BP after menopause

(HealthDay)—Postmenopausal women with edentulism are at an increased risk for developing hypertension, according to a study published online Dec. 4 in the American Journal of Hypertension.

Joshua H. Gordon, from the State University of New York in Buffalo, and colleagues evaluated the association of baseline self-reported periodontal disease and edentulism with incident hypertension among 36,692 postmenopausal women participating in the Women's Health Initiative-Observational Study (mean follow-up, 8.3 years).

The researchers found that edentulism was significantly associated with incident hypertension in both crude and adjusted analyses (hazard ratio, 1.38 and 1.21, respectively). Stronger associations were seen among younger women (<60 years) and among those with normal blood pressure (<120 mm Hg systolic blood pressure). There was no association between periodontal disease and hypertension.

"Improved dental hygiene among those at risk for tooth loss as well as preventive measures among the edentulous such as closer blood pressure monitoring, dietary modification, physical activity, and weight loss may be warranted to reduce disease burden of hypertension," the authors write.