Periodontal disease may worsen cognitive decline in Alzheimers
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- Published: Monday, 14 March 2016 07:39
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People with Alzheimer's disease, who also have periodontal disease show an increased rate of cognitive decline, according to new research. Dr Mark Ide, from the Dental Institute at King's College, and colleagues has published their findings in the journal PLOS One. These patients may be affected, because they are less likely to engage in good oral hygiene as their condition progresses.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), almost half of adults in the US have some form of periodontal disease. Rates increase with age, with the condition affecting more than 70% of adults aged 65 and older. The researchers note that rates of gum disease may be even higher for people with Alzheimer's disease, primarily because they are less likely to engage in good oral hygiene as their condition progresses.
Previous studies have also associated gum disease with increased risk of developing Alzheimer's. Medical News Today reported on one such study in 2013 in which researchers identified bacteria related to gum disease - Porphyromonas gingivalis - in brain samples of people with Alzheimer's. For this latest study, Dr. Ide and colleagues looked at whether gum disease may impact the severity of cognitive decline among people with Alzheimer's. At the beginning and end of the follow-up period, the dental health of the subjects was assessed by a dental hygienist, and the researchers took blood samples from the participants and assessed them for inflammatory markers.
Subjects also underwent cognitive tests at study baseline and after 6 months. Compared with participants who did not have gum disease at study baseline, those who did were found to have a six-fold increase in the rate of cognitive decline during the 6-month follow-up period. What is more, subjects who had gum disease at study baseline showed an increase in blood levels of pro-inflammatory markers over the follow-up period.
Dr Ide said: "A number of studies have shown that having few teeth, possibly as a consequence of earlier gum disease, is associated with a greater risk of developing dementia. We also believe, based on various research findings, that the presence of teeth with active gum disease results in higher body-wide levels of the sorts of inflammatory molecules which have also been associated with an elevated risk of other outcomes such as cognitive decline or cardiovascular disease. Research has suggested that effective gum treatment can reduce the levels of these molecules closer to that seen in a healthy state.”
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