Study links severe gum disease to raised dementia risk
Could taking good care of gums and teeth also help to protect the brain? A recent study has added to growing evidence of a link between severe gum disease, or periodontitis, and a raised risk of dementia.
Using data from an extensive national health insurance screening program, investigators from Seoul National University in South Korea examined the relationship between chronic periodontitis and dementia.
In a paper that now features in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, the researchers describe how they found a modest link between severe gum disease and dementia, which is consistent with some previous studies.
The researchers also point out that their "retrospective cohort study" is likely the first to establish that lifestyle factors, such as alcohol consumption, smoking, and exercise, did not appear to have any effect on the connection.
The term dementia describes a decline in mental capacity – such as increasing difficulty with memory and reasoning – that becomes so severe that it disrupts daily living. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia.
Need to reduce dementia risk factors
A joint 2012 report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Alzheimer's Disease International stated that dementia is a global "public health priority."
The report stated that there were 35.6 million people worldwide living with dementia in 2012. It also estimated that the global prevalence of dementia would increase threefold by 2050.
In their study paper, the researchers discuss the potential impact that reducing dementia risk factors could make to this projected massive burden.
The researchers cite a 2014 study that suggested that decreasing dementia risk factors by 20 percent could reduce the anticipated 2050 prevalence of dementia by more than 15 percent. "One such risk factor," they suggest, "is chronic periodontitis."
Periodontitis is a common human disease in which the gums and the structures that support the teeth become inflamed due to bacterial infection. It usually starts as gingivitis, or inflammation of the gums.
Although the human mouth is home to a wide range of bacteria, when conditions are right, the bacteria populations can increase dramatically to cause inflammation. This usually happens when bits of food and bacteria deposit on tooth surfaces to form plaque.
The bacterial colonies in the plaque grow and produce toxins that trigger inflammation responses in the gums. If untreated, the inflammation becomes persistent and destroys bone, causing tooth loss.
