Cumulative lead exposure and tooth loss in men: The normative aging study

Manish Arora, Jennifer Weuve, Marc G. Weisskopf, David Sparrow, Huiling Nie, Raul I. Garcia, Howard Hu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

23 Scopus citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Individuals previously exposed to lead remain at risk because of endogenous release of lead stored in their skeletal compartments. However, it is not known if long-term cumulative lead exposure is a risk factor for tooth loss. OBJECTIVES: We examined the association of bone lead concentrations with loss of natural teeth. METHODS: We examined 333 men enrolled in the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study. We used a validated K-shell X-ray fluorescence (KXRF) method to measure lead concentrations in the tibial midshaft and patella. A dentist recorded the number of teeth remaining, and tooth loss was categorized as 0, 1-8 or = 9 missing teeth. We used proportional odds models to estimate the association of bone lead biomarkers with tooth loss, adjusting for age, smoking, diabetes, and other putative confounders. RESULTS: Participants with = 9 missing teeth had significantly higher bone lead concentrations than those who had not experienced tooth loss. In multivariable-adjusted analyses, men in the highest tertile of tibia lead (> 23 μg/g) and patella lead (> 36 μg/g) had approximately three times the odds of having experienced an elevated degree of tooth loss (= 9 vs. 0-8 missing teeth or ≥ 1 vs. 0 missing teeth) as those in the lowest tertile [prevalence odds ratio (OR) = 3.03; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.60.5.76 and OR = 2.41; 95% CI, 1.30.4.49, respectively]. Associations between bone lead biomarkers and tooth loss were similar in magnitude to the increased odds observed in participants who were current smokers. CONCLUSION: Long-term cumulative lead exposure is associated with increased odds of tooth loss.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1531-1534
Number of pages4
JournalEnvironmental Health Perspectives
Volume117
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2009
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Aging
  • Blood lead
  • Bone lead
  • KXRF
  • Tooth loss

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Cumulative lead exposure and tooth loss in men: The normative aging study'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this