The more teeth we lose, the greater our risk of developing a form of dementia.
- Each year, there are nearly 10 million new cases of dementia worldwide.
- Most adults have 32 teeth. And, among these teeth, there are 8 incisors, 4 canines, 8 premolars and 12 molars (including 4 wisdom teeth).
According to a new study, there is a proven link between tooth loss and dementia. To reach these conclusions, British researchers synthesized the results of 14 trials including more than 34,000 adults. Within this cohort, more than 4,500 subjects suffered from impaired cognitive function.
Conclusion: compared to those with all their teeth, people who had lost at least one tooth were 1.48 times more likely to present an impairment of their cognitive function, and 1.28 times more likely to develop a form of dementia.
The number of lost teeth matters
Furthermore, the risk of neurological degeneration was correlated with the number of teeth lost. Thus, with each additional tooth that fell out, the likelihood increased by 1.4% for the decline in cognitive function. The risk increased by 1.1% for dementia.
“Our results underline the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene, particularly in order to preserve cognitive function”, conclude the authors.
.
