In a recent study from Malmö University, researchers found cognitive functioning and dementia risk can be dramatically affected by oral health.
They found periodontitis is as clear a risk factor as heart disease or consuming large quantities of alcohol.
The researcher of the study is Helena Nilsson.
In the study, the team examined whether tooth loss and periodontitis are related to cognitive impairment, which may be indicative of incipient dementia.
This was carried out by clinical and radiological examinations of 1147 individuals. The individuals being studied were followed for six years.
The team used the same cognitive test instruments that are used when evaluating/examining individuals at risk for dementia.
They wanted to see if periodontitis could predict cognitive impairment in people who were initially characterized as cognitively healthy.
The result showed periodontitis has a big impact on the risk of cognitive impairment.
The link between periodontitis and dementia may be that individuals cannot take care of their dental health due to dementia.
There are however other hypotheses regarding a potential relationship such as a common inflammatory factor and impaired chew function.
The research points to the importance of diagnosing and treating periodontitis even among the elderly.
If you care about dementia, please read studies about hearing loss linked to Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and findings of this exercise may help prevent cognitive decline in older people.
For more information about dementia prevention and treatment, please see recent studies about these two health problems may increase risk of cognitive decline and results showing that this antibiotic drug may treat common dementia effectively.
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