abspara0015">Prospective cohort study.
abspara0020">Health Professionals Follow-up Study participants (40 536 men) followed biennially from 1986 to 2012. At each 2-year risk period, eligible participants were aged 40+ years, were free of POAG, and reported eye examinations.
abspara0025">By using validated questions, we updated participants' status on number of natural teeth, teeth lost, periodontal disease with bone loss, and root canal treatments.
abspara0030">During follow-up, 485 incident cases of POAG were confirmed with medical records and classified into subtypes defined by intraocular pressure (IOP; ≥ or <22 mmHg) or visual field (VF) loss pattern at diagnosis (peripheral loss only or early paracentral loss). Multivariable relative risks (MVRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated.
abspara0035">Number of natural teeth, periodontal disease, and root canal treatment were not associated with POAG. However, compared with no report of tooth loss, a report of losing teeth within the past 2 years was associated with a 1.45-fold increased risk of POAG (95% CI, 1.06–1.97); in particular, a report within the past 2 years of both losing teeth and having a prevalent diagnosis of periodontal disease was associated with a 1.85-fold increased risk of POAG (95% CI, 1.07–3.18). The associations with recent tooth loss were not significantly different for the POAG subtypes (P for heterogeneity ≥0.36), although associations were strongest in relation to the POAG subtypes with IOP <22 mmHg (MVRR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.09–3.43) and early paracentral VF loss (MVRR, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.32–3.88).
abspara0040">Although the number of natural teeth was not associated with risk of POAG, recent tooth loss was associated with an increased risk of POAG. Because these findings may be due to chance, they need confirmation in larger studies.