Alzheimerâ??s disease is classified as a neurodegenerative condition, a heterogeneous group\nof illnesses characterized by the slow and progressive loss of one or more functions of the nervous\nsystem. Its incidence tends to increase gradually from 65 years of age, up to a prevalence of 4% at\nage 75. The loss of dental elements is more prevalent in this population and might negatively affect\nthe masticatory capacity, quality of life, and pathogenesis of Alzheimerâ??s disease. This study\ninvestigated problems related to oral health and the loss of dental elements in elderly patients\nsuffering from Alzheimerâ??s and considered whether local inflammatory processes could affect the\netiopathogenesis of Alzheimerâ??s disease. The purpose of this systematic review is to identify a link\nbetween the causes leading to tooth loss and the onset/progression of Alzheimer's disease. We also\nstudied whether there is a higher incidence of tooth loss (primary outcome) and edentulism\n(secondary outcome) among Alzheimer's patients. We searched records in electronic databases such\nas PubMed, EBSCO, and Web of Science using the following keywords: Alzheimerâ??s Disease AND\nperiodontal, Alzheimerâ??s Disease AND periodontitis, dementia AND (periodontitis OR\nperiodontal) â??Alzheimerâ??s Diseaseâ? AND â??toothâ? OR â??dental loss,â? â??dementiaâ? AND\nâ??edentulous,â? â??Alzheimerâ??s Diseaseâ? AND â??edentulous,â? â??dementiaâ? AND â??toothâ? OR â??dental\nloss.â? The records were screened, and after applying the eligibility and inclusion criteria, nine\narticles were left, six of which were analyzed for the primary outcome (loss of dental elements) and\nsix for the secondary outcome (tooth loss). Results from this meta-analysis revealed that Alzheimerâ??s\ndisease patients have an increased risk of dental loss (hazard ratio (HR) 1.52, 95% confidence\ninterval (CI) 1.00-2.30, p = 0.05) and edentulous condition (HR 2.26, 95% CI 1.70-3.01, p < 0.001). A\nquantitative analysis of the included studies indicated that patients suffering from Alzheimerâ??s\ndisease are characterized by a greater number of lost dental elements and general edentulism\ncompared to the control groups.
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