Edentulism and depressive symptoms

If tooth loss increases the risk of depressive symptoms, what impact do dentures have on this risk? Here, Japanese researchers have assessed the influence of dentures on the association between edentulism and depressive symptoms in the elderly. The cohort study involved 50,169 participants, with an average age of 72.8 years. Compared with patients who had at least 20 teeth, the relative risk of depressive symptoms was highest in the most edentulous patients (fewer than 10 teeth) without dentures. The risk was reduced in patients with fewer than 10 teeth, but wearing dentures.