Keep Your Teeth Clean To Keep Your Mind In Old Age

EVERYONE knows brushing your teeth helps you keep a bright smile – but it may also stop you losing your mind.

People with poor oral hygiene could be more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study.

Brain tissue from patients with the illness was found to be infected with bugs that cause gum disease.

Dentistry professor Stjohn Crean said: “The bacteria could be a trigger that sets off a chain reaction in people predisposed to dementia.

“People should pay particular attention to brushing and visiting the dentist to reduce the amount of bugs in their mouths – ­especially those with a history of dementia in their family.”

The bug – Porphyromonas gingivalis – triggers an immune response in the brain, which destroys neurons and brings on symptoms such as memory loss and confusion, it is believed.

The bacterium is associated with gum disease and enters the ­bloodstream while eating – but especially when having dental treatment such as fillings and root canal surgery.

The University of Central Lancashire team found the bug was present in brain tissue of 10 people who had suffered dementia but absent in tissue of 10 people who had not.

It follows another study of 5500 elderly people which found those who brushed less than once a day were up to 65 per cent more likely to develop dementia than those who brushed three times a day.