WEDNESDAY, April 8, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Having unmet dental care needs due to cost is associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and dementia, according to a study published in the April issue of The Journals of Gerontology, Series A.
Mabeline Velez, from the Boston University School of Public Health, and colleagues examined whether having unmet dental care needs is associated with subsequent incidence of CVD or dementia among adults aged 55 years or older from the All of Us cohort. A total of 98,787 participants who responded to a survey question on dental care needs that were unmet due to cost were followed for 5.3 years.
The researchers found that individuals who reported unmet dental needs due to cost had a relatively higher incidence of heart failure, myocardial infarction, stroke, and dementia (hazard ratios, 1.45, 1.37, 1.45, and 1.37, respectively), after adjustment for demographic factors. After further adjusting for socioeconomic, behavioral, and clinical factors, these associations were attenuated. Differences were not observed by gender, race and ethnic identity, or periodontitis diagnosis. Eliminating financial barriers to dental care could prevent 2 to 4 percent of each outcome among older adults, based on the estimated population attributable fraction.
"This study serves as an indicator that if we alleviate upstream factors such as financial constraints, we can prevent chronic disease," senior author Kendra Sims, Ph.D., also from the Boston University School of Public Health, said in a statement.