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

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 > 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 > or = 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 microg/g) and patella lead (> 36 microg/g) had approximately three times the odds of having experienced an elevated degree of tooth loss (> or = 9 vs. 0-8 missing teeth or > 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.

• Authors: Manish Arora, Jennifer Weuve, Marc G Weisskopf, David Sparrow, Huiling Nie, Raul I Garcia, Howard Hu
• Journal: Environmental health perspectives (Environ Health Perspect) Vol. 117 Issue 10 Pg. 1531-4 (Oct 2009) ISSN: 1552-9924 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 20019902 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.)

Chemical References

• Lead

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Aging
• Environmental Exposure
• Humans
• Lead (blood, metabolism, toxicity)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Risk Factors
• Tooth Loss (blood, etiology, metabolism)
• Young Adult