Relation between periodontal diseases and neurological diseases

As the average age of the population is rising, healthcare and medical services have become the most important aspects of living. Also as interest in health continues to grow, many doctors and professors are publishing more papers and conducting research than ever before. In the last decade, the relationship between periodontal disease and neurological disease has become the most prominent topic that has been extensively researched in dentistry and neurology. 

The research team led by Dr. Subik Sen, a neurologist at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, found that there is a correlation between periodontitis and cerebral infarction (stroke), and cerebral arteriosclerosis.

According to their study conducted on patients aged 64 and older who had experienced strokes, individuals with periodontal diseases were found to have a three times higher risk of cerebral infarction due to arterial sclerosis affecting the areas of the brain responsible for vision, balance, and coordination. Additionally, MRI examinations revealed that 10% of these individuals had severe cerebral atherosclerosis, with more than 50% blockage of brain arteries.

Eliminating other risk factors such as age, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia, individuals with periodontal disease were found to have a 2.4 times higher risk of severe cerebral arteriosclerosis.

Periodontal disease is caused by these two mechanisms, which are the direct invasion of bacteria which damage the body's immune system, and blood clots. Generally, the main bacteria that causes periodontal disease is Porphyromonas gingivalis, which can cause inflammation and increase the risk of blood clots when it enters the bloodstream, triggering an immune response. Blood clots, also known as thrombi, are clusters of blood that can lead to serious conditions such as heart attacks when they block blood vessels towards the heart, or strokes when they block blood vessels towards the brain. Also, as Porphyromonas Gingivalis damages the immune system, a protein molecule called cytokine which creates an immunocyte, is released. Originally cytokines do not harm the body's immune system, however, when they are overly released and when the immunocyte is increased geometrically, it can cause a lot more damage (Cytokine release syndrome).

Therefore, effective management of periodontal diseases, particularly in populations at risk of severe neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s diseases, as well as the elderly, is becoming increasingly critical.

Reference:

https://www.dongascience.com/news.php?idx=34321