Chewing Ability Linked With Cognitive Impairment Risk In The ...

How well can you chew? For the elderly, it may say something about risk of cognitive impairment, a new study suggests.

Researchers from the Karolinska Institute and Karlstad University found an association between problems chewing hard foods, like apples, and increased risk of cognitive impairment.

The study included 557 people in Sweden ages 77 and older. The researchers measured their brain functioning with the Mini-Mental State Examination, and also assessed each person's chewing ability and tooth loss.

Researchers initially found associations between both tooth loss and problems chewing hard foods with cognitive impairment, but after taking into account other factors like age, education status, mental illness and sex, only the association between problems chewing and cognitive impairment remained significant.

"Whether elderly persons chew with natural teeth or prostheses may not contribute significantly to cognitive impairment as long as they have no chewing difficulty," the researchers wrote in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society study. "The results add to the evidence of the association between chewing ability and cognitive impairment in elderly persons."

Recently, another study in the same journal conducted by University of California researchers showed a link between dementia risk and daily brushing habits. In that study, bad brushing habits among women were linked with a a 65 percent higher risk of dementia, compared with those who brushed every day. For men, bad brushing habits were linked with a 22 percent higher risk of the condition.

For more surprising benefits of keeping a healthy mouth, click through the slideshow:

• Prevent Heart Disease

  Older adults who get <a href="http://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(12)00089-7/abstract">thorough dental cleanings</a> may have a lower heart attack risk than people who follow a less-stringent oral health regimen, according to a 2012 study in the <em>American Journal of Medicine</em>.

• Prevent Stroke

  The <a href="http://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(12)00089-7/abstract">same study</a> also found a link between regular visits to the dentist -- and getting professional "scaling" (or tooth scraping) -- and a decreased stroke risk.

• Prevent Gum Disease

  While this is a bit more obvious than the other benefits, regular brushing can also help to prevent gum disease. The <em><a href="http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/nidcr2.nih.gov/Templates/CommonPage.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRNODEGUID=%7bCE246689-D899-4CC7-B68A-805AD910F4E7%7d&NRORIGINALURL=%2fOralHealth%2fTopics%2fGumDiseases%2fPeriodontalGumDisease%2ehtm&NRCACHEHINT=Guest#howCanI">National Insititute of Dental and Craniofacial Research </a></em> suggests brushing your teeth two times a day to ward off gum disease.

• Prevent Pneumonia

  A <a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-01/aaop-hgm011811.php">2011 study</a> published in the <em>Journal of Periodontology</em> showed that oral infections and diseases can raise the risk of <em>respiratory</em> diseases, including pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Pneumonia and COPD are caused when bacteria get into the lower respiratory tract from the upper part of the throat. If you keep your mouth clean (thereby lowering your risk of oral infection), that could help to keep bacteria from getting into your lower respiratory tract.

• Promote Healthy Babies

  Believe it or not, having a good dental hygiene routine can be healthy for pregnancy. <a href="http://www.perio.org/consumer/pregnancy-therapy07.htm">A 2007 study</a> published in the <em>Journal of Periodontology Online</em> showed that periodontal disease is linked with pre-term low birth weight. "Our study showed that performing periodontal therapy on pregnant women who have periodontal disease may reduce the risk of preterm delivery to equal that of periodontally healthy women," study researcher Catia M. Gazolla, DDS, said in a statement. "These are important findings that we hope all pregnant women will take to their dental professionals when discussing their periodontal health."

• Keep Your Eating In Check

  Brushing your teeth also serves as an indicator to your brain that mealtime's over, <a href="http://www.prevention.com/weight-loss/weight-loss-tips/16-simple-ways-eat-less/15-brush-your-teeth-after-dinner">reports <em>Prevention</em></a>. Brushing your teeth after a meal can help ward off mindless eating and consuming more calories than you need. Plus, it's worthwhile to mention that after brushing your teeth, <a href="http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/19516">food doesn't quite taste the same</a> (you can thank chemicals in toothpaste for that taste-bud effect), <em>Mental Floss</em> noted.

• Help Your Brain

  A 2010 study from the NYU College of Dentistry showed that <a href="http://www.colgate.com/app/CP/US/EN/OC/Information/Articles/ADA/2010/article/ADA-09-Gum-Disease-May-Play-a-Role-in-Alzheimers.cvsp">gum disease</a> may increase the risk for Alzheimer's disease. Again, brushing and keeping up a clean kisser can help ward off oral infections and possibly lessen the risk for Alzheimer's disease.

• Promote A Healthy Sex Life

  While having fresh breath in the bedroom is reason enough to keep up the brushing, there's more: A clean mouth may help to prevent erectile dysfunction. <em>Prevention</em> magazine reports that chronic gum disease is slightly more common in <a href="http://www.prevention.com/health/sex-relationships/healthy-teeth-better-sex">men with erectile dysfunction</a> of a moderate to severe level, compared with men who don't have erectile dysfunction.

• How to Brush Teeth Correctly

  Shane Methal explains how to brush teeth correctly in this dental care video.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/07/chewing-ability-cognitive-impairment-elderly_n_1940250.html

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