DrBicuspid reports a new meta-analysis suggests that “tooth loss is a risk factor for cognitive impairment and dementia,” and “the risk of cognitive decline increases with each lost tooth.” Using “14 individual studies with 34,074 adults and 4,689 cases of diminished cognitive function,” the researchers found that “older adults with more teeth lost than average had a 1.48 times greater risk of developing cognitive impairment and 1.28 times greater risk of being diagnosed with dementia.” The researchers also found a “dose response” between “tooth loss and cognitive impairment, meaning a greater number of missing teeth was associated with a higher risk of cognitive decline.” The meta-analysis was published in the Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine.
CNN reports that “adults who experienced tooth loss were more likely to have cognitive decline if they did not have dentures, the new research also revealed.”
HealthDay reports that the “findings underscore the importance of maintaining good oral health and its role in helping to preserve cognitive function,” said senior author Bei Wu, co-director of the Aging Incubator at New York University in New York City.
Also reporting are Dentistry Today, the Daily Mail (UK), Medical News Today, UPI, and Pharmacy Times.