Poor dental hygiene is linked to a higher risk for developing dementia in older age, a study found.
In a University of California study that observed 5,500 elderly adults, investigators found that women who brush their teeth less than once a day are 65% more likely to develop dementia than women who brush their teeth at least once per day.
This effect was less pronounced in elderly men. Among men, those with irregular teeth-brushing habits were only 22% more likely to develop dementia within 18 years of the start of the study.
Findings were published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
From the October 01, 2012 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
