Dental Health and Dementia: More than Forgetfulness
Prevalence and Distribution of Patients with Dementia

Dementia rates are growing at alarming proportion in all regions of the world and are related to population aging.³¹ Neurologic conditions, including dementia, were estimated by the Global Burden of Disease 2010 Study as the third leading cause of years lived with disability at global level.³²

The prevalence of dementia increases dramatically in the older elderly population. Approximately 2-3% of those aged 70–75 years are affected with dementia, whereas 20–25% of individuals aged 85 years or more have some form of the disease.³³ Data tracking prevalence in individuals over the age of 85 is limited, and therefore, it is not currently clear if dementia prevalence keeps increasing or stabilizes in these individuals.³⁴ Particularly in very old age (90+ years), women have slightly greater probability to develop dementia than men, mainly due to an age-adjusted increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) (RR = 1.3).³⁵