June is celebrated as Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month. To mark this auspicious occasion, dental hygienist-turned-educator Jo-Anne Jones reveals how both dental disease and inflammation can actually contribute to brain disease and neuroinflammation and what patients can do to lower their risk of incurring these serious issues.
Research has shown that gum health and brain health are closely linked to each other. First, neuroinflammation relates to periodontal disease, since the breakdown in the sulcular epithelium provides an entry point allowing bacterial components and inflammatory markers to gain access to the entire body. Most notably, Porphyromonas gingivalis has been identified as a leading cause of damage to neurons along with a heightened level of inflammation.
At the same time, the release of gingipain, a toxic enzyme released by P. gingivalis, has also been linked to Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, gingipain has been detected in over 90% of brain samples through the autopsy of patients who suffered cognitive decline with Alzheimer’s disease (J Alzheimer’s Dis, June 15, 2020, Vol.75:4, pp. 1361-1376).
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What You and Your Patients Need To Know About Gum Disease and Brain Health