Signs of cognitive decline may include poor oral motor performance, a new study finds.
Testing to see if a person can alternate between opposing oral muscle movements could help spot cognitive decline early, improve outcomes and lower health care burdens, according to a study published Tuesday in Scientific Reports.
This study was conducted to identify oral health factors that may be able to predict long-term changes in cognitive function among older adults.
Researchers evaluated data from 583 independent older adults who were about 73 years old on average. The team administered the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) at baseline and followed up with the same screening test several years later.
Cognitive function worsened in one-third of the participants (196 of them) over the course of the study, and those cognitive changes correlated with slower oral diadochokinesis (the ability to repeat certain syllables) — and particularly with impaired ability to produce the “ta” sound — in those individuals.
Another analysis in the same study showed associations between cognitive performance and oral diadochokinesis and knee extension strength as a physical performance.
Existing studies have documented a relationship between oral health and cognitive function, with some suggesting that less strength to create pressure between upper and lower teeth may be associated with decreased cognitive function.
The researchers said they are not sure about the exact mechanism that links changes in cognitive function to oral diadochokinesis, but the study tells them more about oral frailty. Weak oral performance could play a role in swallowing and nutrition in older adults as well, the authors noted. An earlier study suggested that a three-month home program of oral exercise can help boost tongue strength and tongue-lip motor function in older adults, the authors pointed out.
“Our findings suggest that cognitive decline may be indicated by declines in both physical and oral motor performance,” the authors wrote, adding that screening for oral diadochokinesis could detect cognitive decline earlier.
