Taking good care of your teeth may be linked to better brain health, according to a recent study. The researchers found that gum disease and tooth loss were linked to brain shrinkage in the hippocampus, which plays a role in memory and Alzheimer’s disease. The study does not prove that gum disease or tooth loss causes Alzheimer’s disease; it only shows an association. Nevertheless, it's a reminder to educate constituents about poor dental health, which has been linked to many other health conditions, including inflammation and heart disease.

The study involved 172 people with an average age of 67 without cognitive impairment at baseline. Participants had dental exams and took memory tests at the beginning of the study. They also had brain scans to measure volume of the hippocampus at the beginning of the study and again four years later.

For each participant, researchers counted the number of teeth and checked for gum disease by looking at periodontal probing depth, a measurement of the gum tissue. Healthy readings are from one to three millimeters.

Mild gum disease involves probing depths of three or four millimeters in several areas, while severe gum disease involves probing depths of five or six millimeters in several areas as well as more bone loss, which can cause teeth to become loose and eventually fall out.

Researchers found that the number of teeth and amount of gum disease were linked to changes in the left hippocampus of the brain.

For people with mild gum disease, having fewer teeth was associated with a faster rate of brain shrinkage in the left hippocampus. However, for people with severe gum disease, having more teeth was associated with a faster rate of brain shrinkage in the same area of the brain.

After adjusting for age, researchers found that for people with mild gum disease, the increase in the rate of brain shrinkage due to one less tooth was equivalent to nearly one year of brain aging. Conversely, for people with severe gum disease the increase in brain shrinkage due to one more tooth was equivalent to 1.3 years of brain aging.

The results highlight the importance of preserving the health of the teeth and not just retaining the teeth, according to the researchers. They suggest that retaining teeth with severe gum disease is associated with brain atrophy. Controlling the progression of gum disease through regular dental visits is crucial.

To read the study abstract, published in Neurology, click here