Old Age and Dental Health

Nothing says old age than slower movement and a fading memory. Not everyone goes through their golden years shuffling towards the refrigerator, trying to remember what they wanted to have for breakfast, though. Most people credit their mobility and intact mental faculties to proper diet and exercise, but could there be another player in this game –like teeth?

Recent studies found connections between tooth loss and slowing mobility, as well as weaker memory. The research took a sample size of more one thousand three hundred senior citizens, made them race each other, and play memory games. Doctors found that the seniors with missing teeth did around ten percent worse than the ones who kept a full set of pearly whites.

That did not automatically mean that teeth were a determining factor though, so they adjusted the groups to eliminate existing health problems, sociodemographics, behaviour, and characteristics. Even after the changes, the seniors without teeth still performed worse than their dentally equipped counterparts.

These cases need further study for verification from other sources, but the hypothesis for this event is both normal and fascinating. Researchers deduce that tooth loss is an early indicator of deterioration in the body. The results become evident ten years after each senior started losing their teeth.

As any medical professional knows everyone’s body starts to degenerate at a certain age, it is still unclear what that age is, as the timing of the effects varies from person to person. But, most everyone agrees that access to health care and education are significant factors for determining how soon those effects arrive. Cranmore noted that tooth loss seems to be the first warning sign people get that their body is beginning to break down.

Once verified, doctors may use this information for their diagnosis, of delving deeper into how the body works, especially how it begins to deteriorate during the sunset years.