Nearly one-tenth of Hong Kong’s elderly population suffers from dementia. Patients’ memory, language, problem-solving, and other cognitive abilities are impaired severely enough to interfere with daily life. When sorted by the cause, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. Patients with Alzheimer’s disease have abnormal protein accumulation between brain cells, making it impossible to maintain good communication between brain cells. The hippocampus is the learning and memory center of the brain. Brain cells in this area are often the first to be damaged. This explains why memory loss is often one of the earliest symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
To prevent Alzheimer’s disease, you need to maintain a normal weight, blood pressure and blood sugar in your life, get enough sleep, exercise regularly, not smoke and abuse alcohol, etc. These are generally known. But one thing that is easily overlooked is keeping your teeth healthy.
In July 2023, the medical journal Neurology published a study that followed more than a hundred people over the age of 55. They confirmed that gum inflammation and tooth loss is related to hippocampal atrophy. Research shows that unhealthy teeth and gums are risk factors for hippocampus atrophy. The reason may be that the bacteria that cause gum inflammation enter the bloodstream through oral activities (including chewing) every day. The bacteria will attack the brain, causing inflammation. They will accelerate abnormal protein production and accumulation in the brain. The study also found that for those with severe gum inflammation, the higher number of bad teeth in their mouths, the faster their hippocampus will shrink. The researcher suggested that if you suffer from periodontitis, it is important to have regular follow-up visits with a dentist to restore the health of your teeth and gums. If necessary, the dentist could also extract bad teeth and install appropriate dentures.
This study once again reminds us that the brain and various parts of the body, including the seemingly unrelated teeth and gums, are actually closely related. Therefore, maintaining the health of all parts of the body has certain benefits for the brain.
Written by: Dr. William Chui
Originally posted on: HKEJ Health
Translated by: Cheuk Long Chan
