Could taking great care of your teeth and gums throughout your lifetime also help protect your brain as you age? A new study published in The American Geriatrics Society seems to think so.

The extensive study performed by investigators from Seoul National University in South Korea has added to growing evidence of a link between severe gum disease, or periodontitis, and a raised risk of dementia.

In the report, researchers describe how they found a modest link between severe gum disease and dementia, which is consistent with several previous studies. The researchers also point out that their "retrospective cohort study" is likely the first of its kind to establish that lifestyle factors, including alcohol consumption, smoking and even exercise, did not appear to have any effect on the connection.

Dementia Defined

The term dementia describes a decline in mental capacity – such as increasing difficulty with memory and reasoning – that becomes so severe that it disrupts daily living. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia.

In 2012, a joint report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Alzheimer's Disease International stated that dementia is a global "public health priority." The report stated that there were 35.6 million people worldwide living with dementia in 2012. It also estimated that the worldwide prevalence of dementia would increase threefold by 2050.

Periodontitis Defined

Periodontitis is a common disease in which the gums and the structures that support the teeth become inflamed due to a bacterial infection. It usually starts as gingivitis, or inflammation of the gums and left untreated, can progress to the more serious periodontitis. The ultimate result can be the destruction of bone causing tooth loss.

The Dementia Connection

Several animal and human studies have suggested connections between chronic periodontitis and dementia. The authors of the new study considered a retrospective investigation that found participants with chronic periodontitis had a "significantly higher risk" of developing Alzheimer's disease than those without gum disease.

However, they also point out that these older studies were limited by small sample sizes and the fact that they did not consider forms of dementia outside of Alzheimer's disease.

For the new investigation, the researchers analyzed 2005-2015 health data on 262,349 people aged 50 and older from South Korea's National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening Cohort.

The analysis showed that people who had received a diagnosis of chronic periodontitis had a six percent higher risk of developing dementia than those without a gum disease diagnosis. The risk was even more significant for those who developed Alzheimer's disease.

It should be noted that due to the study's design limitations, the findings cannot prove that periodontitis causes dementia; they can only suggest a link.