TY - JOUR
T1 - Mind your teeth—The relationship between mastication and cognition
AU - Weijenberg, Roxane A.F.
AU - Delwel, Suzanne
AU - Ho, Bach Van
AU - van der Maarel-Wierink, Claar D.
AU - Lobbezoo, Frank
PY - 2019/3
Y1 - 2019/3
N2 - This article explores the multifactorial relationship between mastication and cognition, with a focus on dementia. Older persons, especially those with dementia, are at great risk of suffering from oral health problems such as orofacial pain and loss of natural teeth. A possible explanation could be that the cognitive and motor impairments resulting from dementia cause a decrease in self-care and as such, a worsening of oral health. An alternative explanation is that cognition and oral health influence each other. Animal studies show that a decrease in masticatory activity, for example, due to a soft diet or loss of teeth, causes memory loss and neuronal degeneration. The relationship between mastication and cognition has also been researched in human studies, but a cause-effect relationship has not been proven. It is likely that multiple factors play a role in this relationship, such as self-care, nutrition, stress and pain.
AB - This article explores the multifactorial relationship between mastication and cognition, with a focus on dementia. Older persons, especially those with dementia, are at great risk of suffering from oral health problems such as orofacial pain and loss of natural teeth. A possible explanation could be that the cognitive and motor impairments resulting from dementia cause a decrease in self-care and as such, a worsening of oral health. An alternative explanation is that cognition and oral health influence each other. Animal studies show that a decrease in masticatory activity, for example, due to a soft diet or loss of teeth, causes memory loss and neuronal degeneration. The relationship between mastication and cognition has also been researched in human studies, but a cause-effect relationship has not been proven. It is likely that multiple factors play a role in this relationship, such as self-care, nutrition, stress and pain.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85057299322&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85057299322&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/ger.12380
DO - 10.1111/ger.12380
M3 - Article
C2 - 30480331
AN - SCOPUS:85057299322
VL - 36
SP - 2
EP - 7
JO - Gerodontology
JF - Gerodontology
SN - 0734-0664
IS - 1
ER -