Count your teeth to see how long you’ll live

IT is a conundrum many of us would have thought about at one time or another. Now it appears we are one step closer to the answer and all we have to do is count the number of teeth we have.

By The Newsroom

Published 1st May 2015, 15:55 BST

A new study looking into tooth loss and mortality has revealed the number of teeth we have is significantly correlated to our life expectancy.

Results found those with 20 teeth or more at the age of 70 had a considerably higher chance of living longer than those with less than 20 teeth.

According to Dr Nigel Carter OBE, Chief Executive of oral health charity the British Dental Health Foundation, the health of our mouth has consistently been a reliable marker for assessing the health of our whole body.

Dr Carter said: “Oral health indicators such as gum disease have regularly been linked to a wide range of general health problems such as heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, dementia and problems during pregnancy. Many oral health diseases (such as gum disease) are entirely preventable and are caused by poor oral hygiene.”