Teeth affect memory

Saturday.

Australia's Herald Sun has further medical research goodies to report.

This time it's Swedish research so it must be true.

When your dentist pulls a tooth, some of your memory could be yanked out at the same time, according to a new Swedish study to be presented in Stockholm on 30 October.

"Teeth appear to be of the utmost importance to our memories," Jan Bergdahl, an associate psychology professor at the Umeaa University in northern Sweden, a dentist and one of the authors of the study, said today.

The study, part of a broader memory study called Betulastudien, followed 1,962 people aged 35 to 90 starting in 1988, comparing the memories of those who still had teeth and those who had pulled all their teeth (obviously forgot they were supposed to let the dentist do it) and were using dentures.

And now for the most astonishing part of the study.

"When people have no teeth their memories are clearly worse than when they have teeth," Mr Bergdahl said.

He went on to say, "Animal tests have shown that pulling teeth severs nerves to the brain," and pointed out that the new Swedish study could dramatically change dental care for the elderly.

It could also open up the way for hoards of toothless old boggers to sue their dentists for causing brain damage - assuming that they can remember who their dentist is.