Keeping your teeth and gums healthy could keep Alzheimer's away

Keep those teeth clean and healthy, as gum disease and tooth loss could be linked to brain shrinkage in the hippocampus, which plays a role in memory and Alzheimer’s disease. — dpa

“Every tooth in a man’s head is more valuable than a diamond.”

Words to live by, literally, when Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes was writing Don Quixote in the early 17th century.

Back then, dentistry was not for the faint-hearted as it could leave the patient vulnerable to serious infection or death.

This meant that taking care of teeth was one way to try to avoid wider health troubles.

And while modern practices are far safer than the hammer-and-tongs teeth-pulling of Cervantes’ day, taking good care of teeth could still be key to well-being, according to Japanese research published in the journal Neurology.

Gum disease and tooth loss could be linked to brain shrinkage in the hippocampus, which plays a role in memory and Alzheimer’s disease, the researchers found.

This was concluded after they had assessed 172 people with an average age of 67, who did not report memory problems at the outset of the four-year study period.

But by the end of the timeframe, the researchers observed that a person’s number of teeth and level – if any – of gum disease appeared to be linked to changes in the left hippocampus of the brain.

“Tooth loss and gum disease, which is inflammation of the tissue around the teeth that can cause shrinkage of the gums and loosening of the teeth, are very common, so evaluating a potential link with dementia is incredibly important,” said study author Dr Satoshi Yamaguchi of Tohoku University in Sendai.

“Our study found that these conditions may play a role in the health of the brain area that controls thinking and memory, giving people another reason to take better care of their teeth,” he added. – dpa