Postmenopausal women experiencing tooth loss could be at higher risk of developing high blood pressure -- a key risk factor for heart disease warns a new study. The study showed that such women had approximately 20 per cent higher risk of developing hypertension compared to other women. These findings suggest tooth loss may be an important factor in the development of hypertension said Jean Wactawski-Wende Professor at the University at Buffalo in the US. Further research may help us to determine the underlying mechanisms by which these two common diseases are associated Wactawski-Wende added. The reason could be because people