Brushing, Flossing Could Help Protect Against Dementia

Neglect your teeth and bacteria could access your brain from an infected oral cavity, spreading through cranial nerves, spreading slowly over many years (neuron by neuron) until Alzheimer's sets in.

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

• Dental health is associated with hippocampal atrophy — shrinkage of the hippocampus brain region that serves as a marker for Alzheimer’s disease

• People with mild gum disease and fewer teeth had a faster rate of shrinkage in the left hippocampus; having one less tooth increased brain shrinkage at a rate equivalent to nearly one year of br…