Do your gums bleed when you brush? That’s an early sign of gum disease, and gum disease is linked to dementia.
In long-term studies, people with gum disease were about 20% more likely to develop dementia. What that means: if 10 in 100 people with healthy gums developed dementia over the study period, about 12 in 100 with gum disease would. In the ARIC study (8,275 adults followed for about 18 years), 14% of people with healthy gums developed dementia, compared with 22% of those with severe gum disease.
Two leading explanations:
1. Inflammation. Gum disease (periodontitis) keeps inflammation up across the body, and years of higher inflammation are linked to faster decline in memory and thinking.
2. Bacteria. P. gingivalis, a key gum-disease germ, and its toxins have been found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s.
To be clear: this is an association. It doesn’t prove gum disease causes dementia, and part of the link may run the other way (people whose memory is slipping often take worse care of their teeth). Treating gum disease hasn’t been shown to prevent dementia, but it does lower inflammation in the body, and it’s worth doing for its own sake.
What you can do: brush twice a day, clean between your teeth every day, see your dentist regularly (gum disease is often painless), and don’t smoke.
References
1. Asher S et al. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2022;70(9):2695-2709. doi:10.1111/jgs.17978
2. Demmer RT et al. Neurology. 2020;95(12):e1660-e1671. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000010312
3. Eke PI et al. J Am Dent Assoc. 2018;149(7):576-588. doi:10.1016/j.adaj.2018.04.023
4. Walker KA et al. Neurology. 2019. Systemic inflammation during midlife and cognitive change over 20 years: the ARIC Study. PMID 30760633
5. Dominy SS et al. Science Advances. 2019;5:eaau3333
6. Luthra S et al. J Clin Periodontol. 2023;50(1):45-60. doi:10.1111/jcpe.13709
Education only, not medical advice. Talk to your dentist or doctor about your own health.
#dementia #brainhealth #gumdisease #alzheimers #neurologist
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