It is crucial to take care of our brain, the vital operating system of our body. While we often associate brain health with various factors, not many of use will consider the impact of dental care on our cognitive well-being. A new study evaluates this link.
“Tooth loss and gum disease, which is inflammation of the tissue around the teeth that can cause shrinkage of the gums and loosening of the teeth, are very common, so evaluating a potential link with dementia is incredibly important,” study author Satoshi Yamaguchi, of the Division of Aging and Geriatric Dentistry, Tohoku University, Japan, told Medical Express. “Our study found that these conditions may play a role in the health of the brain area that controls thinking and memory, giving people another reason to take better care of their teeth.”
In a new study, researchers tracked data from 172 people with an average age of 67 and no prior history of memory problems. The participants underwent brain scans to measure the volume of hippocampus at the beginning of the study and again four years later.
During periodontal probing – a process of measuring the gum tissue, healthy gum readings typically fall within the range of one to three millimeters. Mild gum disease is identified when probing depths measure between three and four millimeters in multiple areas, while severe gum diseases occur when the depths reach five to six millimeters, which are accompanied bone loss and potential tooth mobility.
The study revealed an intriguing link between gum disease, tooth count and brain shrinkage in the left hippocampus. In individuals with mild gum disease, having fewer teeth was linked to a faster rate of brain shrinkage. On the other hand, in people with severe gum disease, having more teeth was associated with an accelerated rate of brain shrinkage in the left hippocampus.
After considering the age factor, researchers noticed some interesting trends. In people with mild gum disease, losing just one tooth was was…
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