Investigators: Dr Manish Arora (CI), Dr Bradley Christian, Assoc Prof Wendell Evans, Dr Pathik Mehta, Dr Shanti Sivaneswaran.

The Australian population continues to age. These expected changes in the Australian population pose a myriad of challenges in understanding the determinants of aging related health conditions. Oral health is an integral part of our overall health. Poor oral health status has been linked to a number of systemic diseases.

The aims of this study was to address the issues surrounding oral health with a primary focus on the interrelationship between tooth loss and diseases affecting the whole body.

Outcomes resulting from this research:

Arora M, Schwarz E, Sivaneswaran S, Banks E. Cigarette Smoking and Tooth Loss in a Cohort of Older Australians: the 45 and Up Study. J Am Dent Assoc 2010 Oct;141(10):1242–49