20th of March is an annual World Oral Health Day dedicated to raising global awareness of the issues around oral health and the importance of oral hygiene.
A staggering 90% of the world’s population will suffer from oral diseases in their lifetime which are many avoidable with good dental hygiene, good nutrition and regular dental visits.
This year we entered the second year of the three-year campaign »A Happy Mouth is…A Happy Mind«. The goal of this campaign is to address a vital topic: the connection between oral health and mental well-being.
Numerous studies collectively highlight a significant association between poor oral health status and an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia. The observed dose-response relationship suggests that the extent of tooth loss correlates with the level of risk, underscoring the importance of maintaining good oral health for cognitive well-being.
Tooth loss is prevalent in patients with dementia and it is a worldwide public health issue in older adults, impacting negatively on their quality of daily life, such as chewing, swallowing, and social life. However, evidence has shown that tooth loss is not only associated with oral health, but also with systemic health.
The Impact of Poor Oral Health on Cognitive Decline
There are several potential mechanisms by which poor oral health can negatively impact cognitive function:
- Periodontitis – one of the main causes of tooth loss, is able to increase the level of proinflammatory mediators such as IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-α in the plasma, contributing to the aggravation of neuroinflammatory processes in brain, eventually resulting in cognitive decline.
- Besides, masticatory disorder due to tooth loss can lead to poor nutrition, and reduce cerebral blood flow, which may be linked to memory deficits.
- Tooth loss may induce decreased acetylcholine levels due to masticatory dysfunction, and lead to reductions in the number of pyramidal cells in the hippocampus, provoking cognitive dysfunction.
- Oral microbial dysbiosis is linked to a higher brain Aβ load and the development of Alzheimer’s disease in humans.
- Poor dental health is also linked to other systemic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, diabetes and metabolic disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, and several cancers, all of which might in turn also have negative affect on cognitive well-being.
Several studies verified the improvement effects of oral interventions, such as oral care, dental treatment, and oral motor exercise, on cognitive function or impairment.
However, we still a lack of conclusive evidence that such an intervention clearly improved cognitive function. That is why our group in a COMFORTage Pilot 7 named Mind & Mouth is focused to future explore the links between oral, physical and cognitive health.
To learn more about the importance of oral health, visit the official World Oral Health Day website: World Oral Health Day Resources.
**Article written by Tomaž Hitij, from VSTE . A key partner in the COMFORTage project
