Association between oral health and cognitive function among Chinese older adults: the Taizhou imaging study

Background We aimed to investigate the association between oral health and cognitive function in a sample of older adults from a Chinese rural community. Methods The cross-sectional cognitive function of 677 individuals were assessed by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). A comprehensive profile of the oral health status was evaluated by questionnaire and clinical examination. Results Multiple covariates-adjusted regression models demonstrated decayed teeth (DT) and decayed/missing/filled teeth (DMFT) were negatively associated with MoCA score (all p < 0.05). Calculus index (CI) and clinical attachment loss (CAL) were significantly associated with the lower MoCA, short-term memory and executive function score, respectively (all p < 0.05). Additionally, participants with missing teeth unrestored tend to get lower MMSE and MoCA scores ( p < 0.05). The results also showed that increased DT and CI were modestly associated with higher odds of cognitive impairment ( p < 0.05). Conclusions There is an association between oral health and global cognition. Poor periodontal status was strongly associated with worse global cognition performance, especially in the short-term memory and executive domain for the aging population.