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Is there a link between dementia and missing teeth?

1 min read Dentures/bridges
Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association (JAMDA) has identified a potential risk factor for dementia that can be found in the mouth.

The article, ‘Dose-Response Meta-Analysis on Tooth Loss with the Risk of Cognitive Impairment and Dementia’, revealed that each missing tooth a person has increases their risk of dementia by 1.1 per cent.

People missing all of their teeth have 40 per cent higher risk of being diagnosed with dementia and have a 54 per cent increased risk of cognitive impairment. However, the research also found that this effect was reduced by the installation of dentures.

The study’s findings concluded that “moderate-quality evidence suggested tooth loss was independently associated with cognitive impairment and dementia; risk of diminished cognitive function increased with incremental numbers of teeth lost.

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