date

Alzheimer’s disease, does periodontitis influence the development of this disease?

Just before summer, the media echoed this shocking news. Due to the importance that this finding could have for the advances in the research of this disease, many patients have asked us for more information.

The
Alzheimer’s disease
is the most common cause of dementia. It is a disease that causes significant cognitive impairment, characterized by memory loss, language impairment, loss of sense of direction and difficulties in planning tasks or problem solving.

What if one of the causes of Alzheimer’s disease could be an oral infection, and more specifically, periodontitis?

A recent publication in the scientific journal ‘Science Advances’ explains the mechanisms by which the main bacterium in the development of periodontitis‘Porphyromonas gingivalis‘ could be associated in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

This study follows the line of other relationships between periodontitis and systemic diseases already contrasted. Such as diabetes or myocardial infarction. In all these diseases there is a common factor, the inflammation that occurs in the body.

Patients with advanced periodontitis (11% of the world population) have higher levels of systemic inflammation. And it is precisely this state that seems to be related to the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

Preclinical studies have demonstrated the presence of gingipains (molecules produced by periodontitis bacteria) in the brains of people who have died of Alzheimer’s disease. On the other hand, a human association study conducted in Taiwan concluded that those patients who had a history of periodontitis of more than 10 years were almost 2 times more likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease.

However, this new information has to be taken with caution. Experts from Alzheimer Research indicate that it is highly unlikely that a single bacterium is the cause of Alzheimer’s disease.

This information should serve to make oral health a priority, especially in the elderly.

If you want to know the state of your gums, ask for an appointment at Clínica Noguerol. We have been treating gum problems in a specialized way for more than 25 years.

Noguerol Clinic

Periodontics in Granada

More Articles

5 benefits of orthodontics in adults

5 benefits of orthodontics in adults

Orthodontics has long ceased to be seen as a treatment exclusively for children and adolescents. This has been thanks to the latest advances in orthodontics, invisible orthodontics and the many benefits of adult orthodontics. We talk about all these benefits below. If you are thinking of starting this treatment and you have doubts about which […]

The main differences between a tooth-supported prosthesis and a dental implant

The main differences between a tooth-supported prosthesis and a dental implant

Among the different types of dental prostheses that exist, today we focus on the prosthesis on teeth, and its differences with the dental implant. We tell you how a fixed dental prosthesis on teeth differs from a prosthesis with dental implant, the best types of dental treatments to replace lost teeth and regain lost functionality […]

How long do dentures last?

How long do dentures last?

In order to be able to answer the question of how long dental prostheses last, the first thing to do is to assess the type of dental prosthesis we are talking about, the materials used to make them, their care and also the patient’s oral health. The following is a general estimate of the average […]