Periodontal Disease May Increase Risk for Dementia

A 10-year study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggests a connection between chronic periodontitis and dementia, reports Forbes . South Korean researchers assessed the health records of 262,349 people 50 or older. All participants were categorized as having no chronic periodontitis, or having been diagnosed with the disease. Individuals with chronic periodontitis had a 6 percent higher risk for dementia, versus those without periodontitis. This link bore out even after controlling for behaviors such as smoking, consuming alcohol, and degree of physical exercise. The implication is that chronic bony inflammation may cause systemic inflammation in blood vessels in the brain, or lead to oxidative stress that generates free radicals. These findings are significant because they represent the first investigation to demonstrate that chronic periodontitis could be linked to a higher risk for dementia, even after accounting for lifestyle habits.