Connection between oral hygiene and appearance dementia 28 Aug 2012

According to www.healthnews.com,  the People who keep their teeth and gums healthy with regular brushing may have a lower risk of developing dementia later in life, according to a new study.

Researchers who followed close to 5,500 elderly people over an 18-year period, found those who reported brushing their teeth less than once a day were up to 65 percent more likely to develop dementia than those who brushed daily.

The researchers followed 5,468 residents of a Californian retirement community from 1992 to 2010. Most people in the study were white, well-educated, and relatively affluent. When the study began, participants ranged in age from 52 to 105, with an average age of 81.

All were free of dementia at the outset, when they answered questions about their dental health habits, the condition of their teeth and whether they wore dentures.

When the researchers followed-up 18 years later, they used interviews, medical records and in some cases death certificates to determine that 1,145 of the original group had been diagnosed with dementia.

The new findings, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, cannot prove that poor dental health can cause dementia even though neglecting one's teeth might be an early sign of vulnerability to dementia.

The source: http://www.healthnews.com/en/news/REFILEDental-health-linked-to-dementia-

risk/36E3Opj9fwBOr0xA$RVE/