New study results suggest that tooth loss and poor dental health as we age could lead to cognitive decline and diseases such as Alzheimer's. The researchers found that the more teeth a person has lost, the greater the risk of developing it. The results lay the foundation for possible investigationsCauses of dementiaand such age-related brain diseases.
How tooth loss and dental health affect the brain as we age
There is still no known cure for neurodegenerative dementias such as Alzheimer's. Clinicians treat only the symptoms and also recommend a more balanced diet and physical activitycognitive activityto reduce the likelihood of developing dementia. In addition to finding a treatment option for the most common types of dementia, researchers are interested in identifying potential risk factors for the disease. One area of research is the possible connection between tooth loss and brain disease. However, the authors of the present study also highlight that the current meta-analyses have produced mixed results. These analyzes included 34,074 participants, 4,689 of whom had some form of reduced cognitive function. The researchers found that tooth loss is associated with a 1.48 times higher risk of cognitive decline and a 1.28 times higher risk of dementia. Additionally, for every tooth lost, there was a 1.1% higher risk of dementia.
According to the study authors, wearing dentures significantly reduced the above association. They suspect that this could be due to morphological changes. Disturbances would only occur if the affected person eats food without teeth. A possible biological mechanism for the association would be exposure to pathogenic oral bacteria that attack the gums. The findings could also be partly due to the fact that people with dementia have difficulty maintaining good dental hygiene. The authors plan for the futurethis studyto conduct further research. These should include precise measurements of cognitive function and clinical examination of oral health.
