Maintaining good oral hygiene impacts other aspects of our health, including that of our brain. As per a new study, tooth loss is a risk factor for cognitive decline and dementia. Not only this, the more the number of teeth one loses, the greater is his/her chance of suffering from cognitive decline. 

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For the study to find the link between oral hygiene and brain functions, researchers from the New York University (NYU) conducted a meta-analysis of 14 studies. Thus, their study, published in The Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (JAMDA) involved 34,074 people and 4,689 cases of people with cognitive decline.

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What did the study find out?

*     People with more tooth loss had a 1.48 times higher risk of developing cognitive impairment.

*     They were also at 1.28 times greater risk of being diagnosed with dementia.

*     People with tooth loss who didn’t use dentures were at a greater risk of suffering from cognitive decline as compared to those who used them.

*     The researchers also found a dose-response relationship between tooth loss and cognitive decline. This means that the higher number of teeth missing led to a higher risk of cognitive decline.

*     Each additional missing tooth was linked to a 1.4% increased risk of cognitive impairment and 1.1% increased risk of suffering from dementia, the study found out.

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How is oral health linked to brain neural health?

Experts give different reasons for the connection between the two. One reason can be that missing teeth leads to difficulty in chewing, which can impact the overall health, including that of the brain.

Another research suggests a link between gum disease and cognitive decline.

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Also, poor oral hygiene can reflect a person’s socioeconomic disadvantages, which has an impact on other aspects of health as well.

So, floss your way for a healthy brain!