Gum disease has been linked to a greater rate of cognitive decline in people with Alzheimer’s disease, early stage research has suggested. The small study, published in PLOS ONE, looked at 59 people who were all deemed to have mild to moderate dementia. It is thought the body’s response to gum inflammation may be hastening the brain’s decline. The Alzheimer’s Society said if the link was proven to be true, then good oral health may help slow dementia.
The body’s response to inflammatory conditions was cited as a possible reason for the quicker decline. Inflammation causes immune cells to swell and has long been associated with Alzheimer’s. Researchers believe their findings add weight to evidence that inflammation in the brain is what drives the disease.
Dentist Dr Mark Ide from King’s College London told the BBC News website he was “surprised” by the rate of decline, and said that as patients with gum disease chew on their teeth they were effectively giving themselves “mini-injections” of bacteria into their bloodstream. “In just six months you could see the patients going downhill - it’s really quite scary,” he said. —Courtesy: BBC health
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