Gum Disease Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease
Aug 31st, 2010 | By Dr. Jeffrey Huttman Ph.D. | Category: Challenges Program Florida Drug Rehab Articles, Featured Florida Drug Rehab Treatment Articles
Gum health has long been associated with heart disease. But now gum inflammation is being associated with brain health issues. Researchers from New York University have found a link between gum disease and Alzheimer’s disease. It may increase the risk of cognitive dysfunction associated with the disease, even in healthy people.
“The research suggests that cognitively normal subjects with periodontal inflammation are at an increased risk of lower cognitive function compared to cognitively normal subjects with little or no periodontal inflammation,” said Dr. Angela Kamer, Assistant Professor of Periodontology & Implant Dentistry at NYU.
Those people in the study who had gum disease at age 70 were nine times more likely to score in the lower range of brain function tests compared to those with little or no periodontal inflammation.
This isn’t the first study to hint to the connection between gum disease and Alzheimer’s disease. A 2008 study linked Alzheimer’s patients with higher level of antibodies and inflammatory molecules in their plasma, which are associated with periodontal disease.
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