Tooth loss may be the sign for health

British scientists have found out that tooth loss among adults may affect their psychological and physical health.

The study examined 3,166 adults aged 60 or over comparing their performance in tests of memory and walking speed. The study has found that the memory and walking speeds of adults who have lost all of their teeth decline more rapidly than in people who still have some of their own teeth.

The results showed that the people who had lost all of their teeth performed approximately 10 percent worse in both memory and walking speed tests than the people with teeth.

According to researchers, the link between total tooth loss and a decline in memory was explained after the study’s results were adjusted for a wide range of factors, including socio-demographic characteristics, existing health problems, physical health, health behaviors, such as smoking and drinking, etc.

The link was more evident in adults aged 60 to 74 years than in those aged 75 and older, the researchers noted.

The researchers found that, after adjusting for all possible factors, people without teeth still walked slightly slower than those with teeth.