2023-07-16 05:25:27
Everyone is aware of the importance of brushing teeth to maintain their shape and oral health, but a recent study indicated another very important reason for brushing teeth, which is to avoid brain disease.
A study found that the loss of a tooth in people with gum disease had an effect on the hippocampus, the region related to memory, located in the medial temporal part on both sides of the human brain.
Not brushing teeth is one of the most common causes of gum disease.
“The results indicate that retention of teeth with severe periodontal disease is associated with brain atrophy,” said Satoshi Yamaguchi of Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan.
He added: “These results highlight the importance of maintaining dental health, not just preserving the teeth themselves.”
“Tooth loss and periodontal disease, which is inflammation of the tissues around the teeth that can cause retraction of the gums and loosening of the teeth, is very common, so assessing the potential link to dementia is very important,” Yamaguchi added.
Japanese scientists found that the number of teeth and the amount of gum disease were linked to changes in the left hippocampus of the brain, the region associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, affects cognitive function, memory and behaviour, and can make it difficult to perform daily activities and maintain an individual’s independence, leading to frustration, confusion, anxiety and loss of self-esteem.
In this regard, Yamaguchi said: “Controlling the progression of gum disease through regular dentist visits is crucial, and teeth with severe gum disease may need to be extracted and replaced with appropriate prostheses,” according to the British newspaper, Mirror.
People with mild gum disease who had a younger age were associated with a faster rate of contraction of the left hippocampus, equivalent to nearly a year of brain aging.
And for people with severe gum disease, having an extra tooth was associated with faster brain shrinkage in the same region of the brain, equivalent to 1.3 years of brain aging.
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