Interrelated Association between Edentulism, Cognitive Decline and Prosthodontic Rehabilitation: A Review

Aim and Objective: To establish a relationship between tooth loss and cognitive decline as well as the influence of removable dental prosthesis on cognitive health.

Materials and Methods: Initial electronic search was carried out using the following electronic databases: Scopus, PubMed/Medline and Cochrane Database of case controls, systematic and literature re views using the following keywords: “Alzheimer’s Disease”, “Cognitive decline” “Dental prostheses or “Dementia” and “tooth loss” or “edentulism”.

Results: A total of 13 studies were selected according to the selection criteria. Out of 13 studies, 8 studies were included, and 5 studies were excluded from the review.

Discussion: Sensory information from the oral cavity is sent to the brain via the trigeminal nerve. Effective chewing increases oxygen levels in key brain areas and hence impaired chewing can lead to cognitive decline. Furthermore, people with more missing teeth were at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or dementia and those with normal cognitive function had significantly more teeth than those who were cognitively impaired, indicating a link between edentulism and risk of cognitive decline. Prosthodontic rehabilitation through dentures results in significant arousal of the dorsal prefrontal cortex and enhances patients' quality of life by improving their masticatory activity and comfort, thus potentially helping prevent cognitive decline leading to dementia.

Conclusion: From this literature review we can gather that edentulism may be used as a marker for cognitive decline and that prosthetic rehabilitation may aid in the preservation of cognitive health.

Clinical Significance: Prosthodontic rehabilitation in order to bring about effective mastication and chewing efficiency is imperative in prevention of decline in cognitive function.