In this time of social distancing and coronavirus concerns, here’s an important reminder to keep your dental health in check and visit the dentist if you can. A large new study found that gum disease is tied to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Severe gum disease, with loss of teeth, was also tied to an increased risk of mild cognitive impairment, a brain disorder that often progresses to full-blown Alzheimer’s.
“We looked at people’s dental health over a 20-year period and found that people with the most severe gum disease at the start of our study had about twice the risk for mild cognitive impairment or dementia by the end,” said study author Ryan T. Demmer, of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health in Minneapolis. “However, the good news was that people with minimal tooth loss and mild gum…
