Good Oral Health: Antiaging Secret to Prevent Dementia

Highlights:

Oral health problems are more common in older adults compared to other age groups
Older adults are also more likely to have cognitive impairment or dementia due to poor oral health
Considering this, the importance of oral hygiene must be reinforced in older adults to prevent or slow down cognitive decline

An analysis of all relevant studies published in the medical literature indicates that poor periodontal health and tooth loss may increase the risk of both cognitive decline and dementia. This is based on an analysis published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society that included 47 studies.

Dementia
Dementia has become a very big concern as we have an aging population across the world. Dementia is also terrifying to us because of its disturbing symptoms and limited treatment options.

‘Oral health professionals should track and intervene in early changes in oral hygiene status to prevent dementia risk in aged people.’

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Exploring Dementia Risk in Older Adults

Dementia is a syndrome characterized by progressive cognitive decline and functional incapacitation. Over 50 million people are affected by dementia worldwide and owing to an increase in the aging population, the prevalence of dementia is expected to triple by 2050.

Dementias and even milder forms of pathological cognitive decline are debilitating conditions that significantly compromise the quality of life and impose an enormous socioeconomic burden on caregivers and healthcare systems ().

Much research has been focused on identifying modifiable risk factors, for example, cardiovascular diseases, smoking, and unhealthy diet, and targeting them through various interventions (e.g., pharmacotherapy and/or lifestyle modification).

Among the many risk factors for dementia and cognitive decline, oral health measures (eg. periodontitis or gum disease, tooth loss) has only started to be recently explored.

Know More About Periodontitis

Periodontitis is the inflammation of tooth-supporting tissues (gums and bone) which in severe cases leads to tooth loss. It affects about 10%–15% of the world's adult population. Periodontal health is an important health determinant linked to various systemic conditions (e.g., diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases).

The available evidence on periodontal health and cognitive deterioration is insufficient and subject to limitations. Most individual studies lack comprehensive exposure and outcome assessments and have a shorter duration. Also, in the past two years, several studies have been published that warrant synthesis and evaluation.

Previous literature reviews restricted their analysis by either exposure, outcome, or both, that is, they explored either periodontitis or tooth loss with either cognitive impairment or dementia (but not all simultaneously). Therefore, this analysis aims to address these limitations, synthesize, and evaluate all updated evidence on this evolving topic.

Is There a Link Between Oral Health and Dementia?

The adopted search strategy produced 2132 studies for cognitive decline and 2023 for dementia, from which 47 studies (24 for cognitive decline and 23 for dementia) were included in this review.

Poor periodontal health (reflected by having periodontitis, tooth loss, deep periodontal pockets, or alveolar bone loss) was associated with 23% higher odds of cognitive decline and a 21% higher risk of dementia. Tooth loss alone was linked to 23% higher odds of cognitive decline and a 13% higher risk of dementia. The overall quality of evidence was low and associations were at least partly due to reverse causality ().

From a clinical perspective, these findings emphasize the importance of monitoring and management of periodontal health in the context of dementia prevention, although the available evidence is not yet sufficient to point out clear ways for early identification of at-risk individuals, and the most efficient measures to prevent cognitive deterioration.

References

Poor oral health conditions and cognitive decline: Studies in humans and rats - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7332063/)
Periodontal health, cognitive decline, and dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies - (https://agsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jgs.17978)

Source-Medindia