Predication of Arterial Stiffness in Healthy Adults by Oral Health and Chewing Assessments

INN.oral.HEALTH is an sub-study embedded in the Innsbruck Health Promotion Program (INN.HEALTH). The study investigates whether oral health, oral structure, and oral function provide additional information for understanding vascular health in adults from the general population.

Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, such as heart attack and stroke, remain major causes of death and disability. Many risk factors, including blood pressure, blood lipids, blood sugar, smoking, physical activity, sleep, and diet, are already known to influence vascular health. However, oral health may also be related to vascular risk. Conditions such as tooth loss, impaired chewing, reduced tongue strength, or oral disease burden may reflect or contribute to general health and vascular ageing, but their additional value in prevention programs is not yet well understood.

The main hypothesis of this study is that a standardized oral structure and function profile can improve the explanation of central arterial stiffness beyond established cardiovascular risk factors and lifestyle-related health metrics (INN.HEALTH study). Central arterial stiffness will be assessed using carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, a marker of vascular ageing and cardiovascular risk.

Participants will undergo a single oral assessment during Visit 4 of the INN.HEALTH study. The assessment includes screening of oral health status, dentition, bite force, tongue pressure, chewing efficiency, chewing and swallowing performance, questionnaires on oral health-related quality of life and food avoidance, and measurement of masseter muscle thickness. The study does not involve any treatment.

The results may help clarify whether oral structural and functional markers can contribute to future vascular risk assessment and prevention strategies in the general adult population.