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Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2026

July 12-15, 2026 | London, United Kingdom, and Online

3783

Number of teeth And Cognitive Function In Chilean Older Adults: Findings From MAUCO Cohort

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Poster Presenter

Megan Rojas Guzman

Authors

Megan Rojas, Duniel Ortuño, Rockli Kim, Hannah Oh

Affiliations

Interdisciplinary Program in Precision Public Health, Department of Public Health Sciences, Graduate School of Korea University, Republic of Korea., Faculty of Dentistry, Universidad de Los Andes, Santiago, Chile., Department of Health Policy and Management, College of Health Sciences, Korea University, Republic of Korea., Interdisciplinary Program in Precision Public Health, Department of Public Health Sciences, Graduate School of Korea University, Republic of Korea. Department of Health Policy and Management, College of Health Sciences, Korea University, Republic of Korea.

Part of Topic

Number of teeth and cognitive function in
Chilean Older Adults: findings from MAUCO Cohort

Megan Rojas 1, Duniel Ortuño2, Rockli Kim1,2, Hannah Oh1,3*

1 Interdisciplinary Program in Precision Public Health, Department of Public Health Sciences, Graduate School of Korea University, Republic of Korea.

2 Faculty of Dentistry, Universidad de Los Andes, Santiago, Chile.

3 Department of Health Policy and Management, College of Health Sciences, Korea University, Republic of Korea.

Greater number of teeth is associated with higher cognitive function in older Chilean adults. These findings underscore the importance of incorporating oral health into dementia-prevention and healthy aging strategies.

Introduction:

•Studies suggest that greater number of teeth may be associated with better cognitive function, potentially through pathways related to nutrition and masticatory stimulation

•However, evidence from Latin America remains limited

Methods:

•Cross-sectional analysis (n=2,514) among participants ≥60 years, enrolled in Maule Cohort Study (MAUCO)

•Number of teeth was assessed during oral examination

•Cognitive function:

oAddenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination–Revised (ACE-R)

oMini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)

•Multivariable linear regression (β and 95% CI) adjusted for potential confounders2 and stratifying by sex

Results:

•Participants with higher number of teeth [≥20 vs. 0 teeth] had statistically significantly higher cognitive scores (β [95% CI]: 5.74 [3.75, 7.74] ACE-R; 1.27 [0.69, 1.86] MMSE; all p-trend <0.001)

•The associations were more pronounced among women (ACE-R: β [95% CI]: 7.43 [4.81, 10.06] women vs 3.04 [-0.08, 6.17] men), with statistically significant interaction by sex (p-interaction = 0.018)

Conclusions:

•Number of teeth was associated with higher cognitive function scores, with evidence of monotonic positive dose-response relationships

•The positive associations were more pronounced among women, older age, and those with lower educational attainment

•Further longitudinal and mechanistic studies are needed to clarify the temporal sequence and biological pathways linking oral health to cognitive decline across diverse populations

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