Periodontitis May Initiate Alzheimer’s Disease

Long-term exposure to Porphyromonas gingivalis causes inflammation and degeneration of brain neurons in mice that is similar to the effects of Alzheimer’s disease in human beings, according to the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). These findings suggest that periodontal disease may be an initiator of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers there report.

“Other studies have demonstrated a close association between periodontitis and cognitive impairment, but this is the first study to show that exposure to the periodontal bacteria results in the formation of senile plaques that accelerate the development of neuropathology found in Alzheimer’s patients,” said Keiko Watanabe, DDS, professor of periodontics at the UIC College of Dentistry and corresponding author of the study.

“This was a big surprise,” Watanabe said. “We did not expect that the periodontal pathogen would have this much influence on the brain or that the effects would so thoroughly resemble Alzheimer’s disease.”

To study the impact of the bacteria on brain health, the researchers established chronic periodontitis in 10 wild-type mice. Another 10 mice served as the control group. After 22 weeks of repeated oral application of the bacteria to the study group, the researchers studied the brain tissue of the mice and compared brain health.

 

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Source: dentistrytoday.com