Basically, people with poor oral hygiene are more likely to develop Alzheimer's than people with good teeth.
You might have heard about a similar study that found a link between oral hygiene and heart disease. The theory, at least in that case, is that bad oral hygiene causes chronic long-term inflammation throughout the body, not just in your gums. This might increase risk of heart disease. Without looking at the data, I would guess that the same theory applies to Alzheimer's and maybe other diseases. The usual caveat about correlation != causation applies of course.
?? If Alzheimer's is related to memory & executive functioning(probably is) then the people who are likely to develop Alzheimer's are likely to have poor oral hygiene.
Oral hygiene is a good proxy for people who know it's important, but somehow still forget. A solid proxy for executive functioning decline, executive functioning in general, working memory, and a cluster of other things.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/264164.php
Basically, people with poor oral hygiene are more likely to develop Alzheimer's than people with good teeth.
You might have heard about a similar study that found a link between oral hygiene and heart disease. The theory, at least in that case, is that bad oral hygiene causes chronic long-term inflammation throughout the body, not just in your gums. This might increase risk of heart disease. Without looking at the data, I would guess that the same theory applies to Alzheimer's and maybe other diseases. The usual caveat about correlation != causation applies of course.