A Smile for a Longer Life: How Oral Health Affects Life Expectancy

For many of us, living a long and healthy life is a desirable goal. While a healthy diet and regular exercise are often the main focus, there are other, less obvious factors that also play an important role. Two of these factors are oral health and collagen breakdown. In this article, we take a closer look at these topics and explain how they may affect our life expectancy.

Table of contents

1. Why is oral health important?
2. The number of our teeth correlates significantly with life expectancy
3. The connection between oral health, collagen breakdown and longevity
4. Collagen breakdown and the ageing process: an inseparable pair
5. Promoting oral health and reducing collagen breakdown: practical tips
6. Conclusion
7. Sources

Why is oral health important?

Most of us are taught from an early age that oral health is important, and for good reason: the condition of our oral health plays a decisive role in our overall health and longevity.

Good oral hygiene not only contributes to a bright smile but also has a direct influence on our physical well-being. It can help reduce the risk of disease and therefore contribute to a longer, healthier life. This is because problems in the mouth, such as gum disease and tooth decay, can lead to more serious health conditions, including heart disease and diabetes.

It is therefore essential that we take oral care seriously. A daily dental care routine is something everyone should integrate into everyday life. By caring for our teeth and gums every day – through regular brushing, the use of dental floss and regular dental check-ups – we can minimise health risks and improve our life expectancy.

The number of our teeth correlates significantly with life expectancy

An increasing amount of research is focusing on oral health and showing that the number of teeth we retain does in fact correlate significantly with our life expectancy.

A study conducted in the Swiss Armed Forces investigated a possible correlation between the number of teeth and various health problems. The results showed that people with a greater number of healthy teeth tended to have a higher life expectancy.

Another research project examined the relationship between osteoporosis and periodontitis in women going through the menopause. It found that women with a greater number of remaining teeth had a higher life expectancy. These findings underline the importance of good oral health for general health and longevity.

Additional research focused on the influence of dental status and chewing function on oral-health-related quality of life and the nutritional status of older people. The study concluded that good oral health, including a healthy number of teeth, contributes to an improved quality of life and better nutritional status, which in turn may promote longevity.

Key finding: Several studies – including studies involving members of the Swiss Armed Forces and women going through the menopause – show that people who retain a greater number of healthy teeth tend to have a higher life expectancy.

There is no doubt that oral health, and particularly the number of teeth we retain, can have a considerable influence on life expectancy. These findings underline the need to pay attention to oral health and undergo regular dental examinations in order to improve general health and longevity.

The connection between oral health, collagen breakdown and longevity

Collagen is the main protein in our connective tissue and plays a decisive role in the health of our skin, hair, nails and joints. Collagen production decreases with age. This reduction can lead to various signs of ageing, making collagen an essential “miracle molecule”.

Scientific studies have demonstrated a direct connection between oral health, collagen breakdown and longevity. Poor oral health can promote systemic inflammation, which accelerates collagen breakdown and thereby advances the ageing process. By contrast, good oral health helps reduce general inflammation, slow collagen breakdown and therefore promote longevity.

During youth, there is a balance between the formation, or anabolism, and breakdown, or catabolism, of collagen. Over time, however, this balance shifts in favour of breakdown. This process is accelerated by endogenous factors such as natural ageing and exogenous factors such as UV radiation and smoking.

Collagen breakdown and the ageing process: an inseparable pair

The effects of collagen breakdown are diverse, ranging from the formation of wrinkles and loss of skin elasticity to more serious health problems such as osteoporosis. Studies have demonstrated a relationship between bone loss and skin thickness, indicating the shared influence of collagen.

To slow this process and improve life expectancy, we need to reduce collagen breakdown and promote collagen production. By encouraging good oral health and implementing strategies to optimise collagen production, we can not only slow the ageing process but also improve our quality of life and longevity.

Promoting oral health and reducing collagen breakdown: practical tips

Good oral health and the prevention of collagen breakdown are essential for our general well-being and longevity. Fortunately, there are effective strategies that can support us in achieving this. However, you should first determine whether collagen breakdown is already affecting you.

One way to assess this is the PerioSafe® Test. This test uses a globally patented analytical method to determine collagenolytic activity in the mouth based on the concentration of the biomarker aMMP-8. aMMP-8 is an enzyme that serves as an important indicator of collagen breakdown in the body and therefore represents a significant health marker.

Here are some additional practical tips for promoting oral health and slowing collagen breakdown:

• Healthy diet: A balanced diet rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants can help improve oral health and slow collagen breakdown.
• Regular exercise: Physical activity can improve circulation, which in turn supports the health of the skin and gums.
• Sufficient sleep: While we sleep, the body repairs and regenerates itself, including the skin and gums.
• Avoid harmful habits: Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption can negatively affect both oral health and collagen balance.
• Regular dental check-ups: Regular professional dental cleaning and examinations can identify and treat early signs of oral health problems.
• A good skincare routine: The use of anti-ageing products can help strengthen skin cells and delay collagen breakdown.

By implementing these tips, you can promote oral health, slow collagen breakdown and thereby improve your quality of life and longevity. You can read more about the broader effects of diet and lifestyle on ageing in the article Silent inflammation and an anti-inflammatory diet.

Tip: Anyone who would like to know how strongly their lifestyle is already affecting cellular ageing can have this assessed with targeted diagnostics.

Conclusion

In summary, both oral health and collagen breakdown play decisive roles in the ageing process and our general well-being. Good oral hygiene and maintaining a healthy number of teeth are not only important for a bright smile, but can also reduce the risk of disease and contribute to a longer, healthier life.

Research has shown that poor oral health can promote systemic inflammation, which accelerates collagen breakdown and advances the ageing process. It is therefore extremely important to pay attention to oral health, undergo regular dental check-ups and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

By promoting good oral health and implementing strategies to optimise collagen production, we can not only slow the ageing process but also improve our quality of life and longevity. A bright smile combined with healthy collagen levels may indeed be one of the keys to a long and healthy life.

You can find further information on the relationship between lifestyle and biological age in the article What biological age reveals.

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