"Many people with bad teeth also may have risk factors for heart disease, " Quyyumi said.

CNN: Brush your teeth, save your life?

Slevin, now 59, went to jail in August 2005 as "a well nourished, physically healthy adult, " but emerged with a long beard, bed sores, bad teeth and weighing just 133 pounds in June 2007, according to the lawsuit.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Simpler, transparent regulation with teeth that in fact materially penalizes corporations for bad behavior.

FORBES: Slow Growth Will Destroy America

With the comfort of permanent agricultural settlements came uncomfortable new scourges such as intestinal parasites, bad teeth and the fouling of the water supply.

ECONOMIST: Food in history