By David Liu, PHD

Sunday July 29, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- Men who lose many teeth are at high risk for hip fracture in the near future, according to a study in the Journal Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology.

The study led by K/ Wakai of Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine in Nagoya, Japan and colleagues found men aged 50 years of age or older who lost 15 or more teeth at the begining of the study were four times as likely to have hip fracture during a six-year follow-up as those who lost less than 15 teeth.

In the study, 9,992 male Japanese dentists aged 50 years of age or older were followed up for six years to record hip fracture and tooth loss.  During the 6-year follow-up, 20 new cases of hip fracture were identified.

The researchers found there was a weak association between the risk of hip fracture and the number of teeth lost, loss of an additional tooth was associated with 6 percent increased risk for developing hip fracture.

The study indicates that teeth are a window to indicate bone health. Vitamin D is known to be good for bone health. Dentists like many other professionals work indoors all the time and may not have sufficient exposure to the sun leading to vitamin D deficiency or insufficieny, which further leads to tooth and bone diseases like osteoporosis.

Previous research has already found that low vitamin D is linked to high risk for hip fracture.