Common Sense Health: Gum disease increases risk of dementia

By medicinehatnews on February 7, 2025.

Have you become lax lately in brushing your teeth? Possibly not flossing as much as before? Or putting off seeing your dentist for checkups and teeth cleaning? If you’ve become careless, you could be playing a risky game with your brain. Studies show that older adults suffering from periodontal gum disease, having difficulty chewing food, or missing teeth, have a greater risk of developing dementia.

Gingivitis like other medical problems proves the Gifford-Jones Law that one health problem frequently leads to another. Gingivitis is the first stage of gum disease, when gums become inflamed by the bacterial plaque built up on the surface of teeth. If untreated, it progresses to periodontitis, an infection of tissue that supports the teeth.

According to the Academy of Periodontology, more than half of those aged 30 and older have this problem. For those 65 and older, it is 68 percent, not a minor problem.

Several studies link dental health to dementia. Researchers at the University of Central Lancashire School of Medicine and Dentistry studied 10 brains of those with and without dementia. They discovered the bacteria, Porphyromonas gingivalis, in four of the brains of those with dementia.

Another study of 262,000 people in South Korea aged 50 and older was conducted over a 10-year period, published in the American Geriatrics Society Journal, revealed that those with chronic periodontitis had six percent higher risk of dementia than those without.

A California study followed 5,500 older adults over an 18-year period. They had all their own teeth. But those who did not brush their teeth daily had a 22 to 65 percent greater risk of dementia than those who brushed teeth three times a day.

One can assume there is a relationship between oral health habits and dementia. But this research does not conclusively prove that poor oral habits cause dementia. Rather, it’s an interesting association. As one wise sage once remarked, “The sun rises in the morning, and so do we, but this association means nothing!” For instance, it could be the reverse, that impaired cognitive function leads to poor oral health.

Nevertheless, good horse sense should tell us that it’s prudent to brush teeth three times a day. Dental floss should also be used regularly to remove food between teeth.

Many readers will wonder what gingivitis has to do with the brain. The answer is that we simply cannot escape microbes, tiny micro-organisms that invade our bodies and mouth.

Researchers believe that unhealthy microbes and the toxins they produce do not remain in the mouth. Rather, they wander to other parts of the body including the brain, causing inflammation and brain injury.

Inflammation is not our friend. Researchers have believed for years that low grade chronic inflammation is one of the factors that triggers coronary attack.

Apart from brushing teeth after eating, flossing, and seeing your dentist at regular intervals, how else can you give a boost to oral health? Saliva has antibacterial properties, and a good flow prevents dry mouth. Sip water or chew sugarless gum. You can also give your mouth a boost of good microbes by chewing probiotic gum.

A nitrate-rich diet is also good because nitrates (found in leafy greens, beets, and other vegetables) help certain bacteria in the mouth convert nitrates into nitrites, which then help maintain a healthy balance of oral microbes and contribute to nitric oxide production, which benefits overall health.

With good care you can keep your own teeth for a lifetime. As Don Quixote remarked 400 years ago, “A tooth is more precious than a diamond.”