THIS crucial facial feature can tell if you will live till the age of 100

What makes some people live a long life? New research has hinted that one facial feature affects longevity in humans, and that is your teeth. Dental health has been found to be an important indicator of how long a person might live. A team of scientists from China published a study in the health research journal JMIR Aging, which states that edentulousness, or tooth loss, can indicate if a person will live till the age of 100.

The study states that oral diseases affect more than 3.5 billion people in the world. They used data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey to understand the relation between the two and how life expectancy can be increased by taking appropriate steps at the right time.

They studied 4,239 participants between the ages of 80 and 100, who were then divided based on two parameters - 1,470 with edentulousness, or "the complete loss" of teeth, and 2,769 as non-edentulous, participants with at least one tooth.

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People with natural teeth were expected to live till 100

A total of 607 people, or 14.3 per cent, reached the age of 100, and of these, only 264 fell into the category of edentulous.

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The team followed up with some of these participants for at least two years. Here is where the truth about oral health and a long life became even clearer. Of the 2,310 participants, only 17.7 per cent of people with edentulousness were likely to reach the age of 100. However, the likelihood of becoming a centenarian was 82.3 per cent in non-edentulous individuals.

The team said that this is the first time that the "presence of natural teeth was linked to an increased probability” of a person reaching the age of 100.

This isn't a surprising study since oral health has been known to affect physical health. Proper nutrition, being a non-smoker, and practicing healthy hygiene are tied to better health, while studies have linked poor dental hygiene to dementia risk and possible cancer risks.

Medical experts advise following a good dental health regimen to ensure better heart health and prevent the risk of strokes. The study highlights the importance of visiting a dentist and taking care of oral health to keep several other diseases at bay.