A new study has found that older adults who delay or avoid dental treatment due to financial constraints may face a significantly higher risk of developing serious health conditions, including cardiovascular disease and dementia.
The research, published in the April issue of The Journals of Gerontology, Series A, was led by Mabeline Velez of the Boston University School of Public Health. It analyzed data from 98,787 adults aged 55 and older who participated in the All of Us cohort study, tracking health outcomes over an average of 5.3 years.
Participants were asked whether they had unmet dental care needs because of cost. Researchers then compared long-term health outcomes between those who reported financial barriers to dental care and those who did not.
The findings showed a clear association between cost-related barriers to dental care and increased rates of several major health conditions. After adjusting for demographic variables, researchers found hazard ratios of 1.45 for heart failure, 1.37 for heart attack, 1.45 for stroke, and 1.37 for dementia among those who reported unmet dental care needs.
Although the associations were reduced after further adjustments for socioeconomic factors, health behaviors, and pre-existing clinical conditions, the overall link between limited access to affordable dental care and worse health outcomes remained statistically significant.
Importantly, the study found no meaningful differences in outcomes based on gender, race or ethnicity, or the presence of periodontitis, suggesting the observed associations were broadly consistent across population groups.
Researchers also estimated that removing financial barriers to dental care could potentially prevent between 2% and 4% of these adverse health outcomes among older adults.
“These findings suggest that addressing upstream factors such as financial constraints could help reduce the burden of chronic disease,” said senior author Kendra Sims, Ph.D., of the Boston University School of Public Health.
The study adds to growing evidence that access to affordable dental care may play a role in protecting long-term health, reinforcing the connection between oral health and broader systemic conditions such as heart disease and cognitive decline.
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