If you want to protect your brain, do not neglect your oral hygiene: each tooth you lose can increase the risk of cognitive impairment by 1.4% and the risk of developing some form of dementia by 1.1%.
This is the finding of a review published in The Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (JAMDA). A group of researchers reviewed 14 studies involving 34,000 adults, 4,700 of whom had cognitive decline, and analysed the link between tooth loss and the deterioration of brain function.
According to the data collected, adults who had lost more than one tooth were 1.5 times more likely to develop cognitive impairment and 1.3 times more likely to develop dementia. The meta-analysis showed that this risk increases with the number of teeth lost, while it falls sharply when the missing teeth are replaced with prostheses and dentures. The reason seems to be that missing teeth make chewing difficult and so lead to nutritional deficiencies, which in turn give rise to a range of cognitive problems.
Gum disease plays a key role in tooth loss, but socio-economic status is among the contributing factors. People from disadvantaged social backgrounds are more likely to lose teeth without being able to have them replaced. Poverty is also an established risk factor for cognitive decline.
In the United States, one in six adults over 65 has lost all their teeth. Given that cases of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are rising every year, the relationship between oral health and cognitive decline deserves further investigation, the study’s authors concluded.
In the meantime, so as not to risk losing your most precious memories, remember never to neglect your oral hygiene and your check-ups with your trusted dentist!
Source: “Dose-response Meta-Analysis on Tooth Loss With the Risk of Cognitive Impairment and Dementia” (8 July 2021, JAMDA)
Credits: photo by Ravi Patel on Unsplash
