Aging Untold: What caregivers need to know about oral health скачать в хорошем качестве

Aging Untold: What caregivers need to know about oral health

“When you’re looking at dental care, it really isn’t cosmetic,” Dr. Rhea Rogers, a board-certified physician and host of Aging Untold, said. “It’s infection prevention, it is inflammation control, and it’s actually protective against the heart and the brain.” Rogers said poor oral hygiene can lead to gum disease, which allows bacteria to enter the bloodstream and cause chronic inflammation and damage blood vessels, affecting the heart, brain and lungs. It can also interfere with blood sugar control and increase stroke risk by making blood stickier. Rogers said a bacterium, P. gingivalis, has been found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease, and while researchers cannot say gum disease directly causes dementia, a correlation exists. “Oral health is brain health,” aging well coach and Aging Untold co-host Katherine Ambrose said. “The mouth is not separate from the brain. It’s completely connected. And it’s one of the most overlooked dementia prevention tools.”