Dental caries, periodontal disease, stomatitis and the related inflammatory burden were associated with diagnosed dementia and especially Alzheimer’s disease among older people in a recent Finnish study.
Oral diseases have been hypothesised to have a role in the development or progression of Alzheimer’s disease, because low-grade inflammation and bacteria associated with these diseases may also affect the brain. In addition, an association has been observed between poor oral health, poor diet and impaired cognition.
In a cross-sectional study, researchers from the Universities of Oulu and Eastern Finland investigated whether people with dental caries, periodontal disease or stomatitis were more likely to have Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia. They also studied whether the inflammatory burden determined by the severity of these oral diseases was associated with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. The study population included 170 individuals aged 75 or older who were taking part in a larger population-based intervention study aimed at preventing disability, called the Geriatric Multidisciplinary Strategy for Good Care of the Elderly (GeMS) study. Eleven per cent of the participants had Alzheimer’s disease and 4 per cent had another form of dementia.
People with three or more carious teeth were over three times more likely to have Alzheimer’s disease or dementia than those with no carious teeth. Deepened periodontal pockets as deep as or deeper than 4 mm, stomatitis and inflammatory burden were also associated with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
The researchers emphasise that even though the study shows an association between the studied oral and cognitive conditions, a causal relationship remains to be established. However, by enhancing oral hygiene and treating oral diseases in patients of all ages, it is possible to improve oral health and thus reduce low-grade systemic inflammation and prevent bacteraemia of dental origin. The results were published in Special Care in Dentistry.