There is another reason to visit the dentist regularly for checkups and maintain good oral hygiene. A new research links dementia with tooth loss. For a long time, dentists have known that people suffering from dementia have a worse dental hygiene than the general population, and are more likely to lose their teeth. But this research wanted to demonstrate the other direction of that association, meaning that people who have missing teeth are more likely to develop dementia when they get older.

Dementia is a condition characterized by a loss of cognitive function of the brain. A person who has developed that condition can have a loss of memory, loss of attention, or loss of language understanding. In an advanced case, a patient may have no idea what date it is, where he is, or even who he is.

The University of Kentucky in the United States conducted a study on 144 nuns of the School Sisters of Notre Dame. This research has lasted 12 years and examined dental and medical records. All nuns were aged between 75 and 98 years. The results of this study show that the nuns who had between 0 and 9 teeth were more likely to develop dementia than the ones who had more than 10 teeth in their mouths.

Further research should be conducted to determine the exact relationship between tooth loss and dementia. But among the reasons suggested it is proposed that periodontal disease, lack of nutrition and infection can all affect brain function.

The information above should be used as a reference only. Any medical decision should not be taken before consulting a health care professional.

The masculine gender may have been more used in the article, but without prejudice, to make reading easier.

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