Story at-a-glance
- Dental health is associated with hippocampal atrophy — shrinkage of the hippocampus brain region that serves as a marker for Alzheimer’s disease
- People with mild gum disease and fewer teeth had a faster rate of shrinkage in the left hippocampus; having one less tooth increased brain shrinkage at a rate equivalent to nearly one year of brain aging
- For those with severe gum disease, having more teeth was linked to a faster rate of brain shrinkage, with one more tooth akin to 1.3 years of brain aging
- Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis), a pathogen involved in chronic periodontitis, has been identified in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease
- Even in young, otherwise healthy, adults, episodic memory and learning rate is improved among those without good oral health compared to those with aggressive periodontal disease
Dementia has been added to the long list of health problems potentially associated with poor oral health. The finding, published in Neurology,1 suggests dental health is associated with hippocampal atrophy — shrinkage of the hippocampus brain region that serves as a marker for Alzheimer’s disease.2
Continue reading “Brushing, Flossing Could Help Protect Against Dementia”
