Sendai: A new study suggests that brushing your teeth regularly can reduce the risk of dementia.
A study conducted by Japanese researchers has found that there is a strong connection between gum disease and tooth loss and this deadly disease.
The study found that people who didn’t take care of their mouths had more shrinkage of their hippocampus. The hippocampus is the part of the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Satoshi Yamaguchi of Sendai-based Tohoku University said tooth loss and gum disease are very common, so finding a possible link to dementia is critical.
Research has shown that these conditions may play a role in the health of the part of the brain that is responsible for thinking and memory, he said. This gives people another reason to take extra care of their teeth.
Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia and is thought to be caused by the accumulation of protein particles in the brain.
Gingivitis is the most common gum disease, affecting about 55 percent of the population. This disease is caused by inflammation in the tissues around the teeth, which can cause the gums to shrink and the teeth to become loose.
A previous study suggested that this condition can cause inflammation in the brain that can later lead to dementia.
The research was published in the journal Neurology.
(function(d, s, id){
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;}
js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3&appId=770767426360150”;
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));
(function(d, s, id) {
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) return;
js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_GB/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.7”;
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));