Periodontitis

TUESDAY, Jan. 14, 2025 -- Periodontitis might be a potential risk factor for impaired brain function even in individuals with normal cognition, according to a study published online Nov. 20 in the Journal of Periodontology . Wei Ye, from the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University in Hefei, China, and colleagues investigated the effects of periodontitis on brain function (intranetwork functional connectivity [FC] and internetwork FC). The analysis included periodontal findings and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging from 51 middle-aged and elderly participants with normal cognition. The researchers found differences in intranetwork FC among groups in the anterior default-mode network (aDMN), dorsal attention network, and dorsal sensorimotor network (dSMN). The analysis of internetwork FC showed increased FC between the auditory network and the ventral attention network (VAN), between the aDMN and the salience network (SN), and between the SN and the VAN. The analysis also showed decreased FC between the posterior default-mode network and the right frontoparietal network in the moderate-to-severe periodontitis group compared with those without periodontitis or with mild periodontitis. There was also an increase in internetwork FC between the dSMN and the VAN in those with moderate-to-severe periodontitis compared with no periodontitis. There was a significant correlation seen between altered intranetwork and internetwork FC with the periodontal clinical index. "The present study indicates that periodontitis might be a potential risk factor for brain damage and provides a theoretical clue and a new treatment target for the early prevention of Alzheimer disease," the authors write.

MONDAY, Jan. 13, 2025 -- Gum disease appears to disrupt brain activity, potentially increasing a person’s risk of cognitive decline. People with gum disease experienced altered connections between different brain regions, compared to folks with good dental health, MRI scans show in a new study. “These differences suggest that periodontitis may negatively affect brain function even in normal cognition,” concluded the research team led by Xaiohu Li , an associate professor of radiology with the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University in Hefei, China. Further, the results indicate that “periodontitis might be a potential risk factor for brain damage and provides a theoretical clue and a new treatment target for the early prevention of Alzheimer disease,” the team wrote in its report published recently in the Journal of Periodontology . For the study, researchers studied the oral health and brain activity of 51 people, including 11 with healthy gums , 14 with mild gum disease, and 26 with moderate-to-severe gum disease. The people with moderate-to-severe gum disease displayed changes in connections between and within different brain regions, researchers said. Overall, gum disease was associated with impairment of network function within the brain. “To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to compare brain function changes in elderly individuals with normal cognition with different severity levels of periodontitis from the perspective of brain networks,” researchers wrote. These changes might be caused by brain inflammation promoted by gum infections. Bacteria from diseased gums can invade brain tissues, promoting an immune response, researchers said. Prior studies also have found higher levels of amyloid beta deposits -- a hallmark of Alzheimer’s -- in the brains of people with gum disease, researchers said. “These findings not only enrich our understanding of periodontitis but also contribute to the development of potential imaging biomarkers and may provide new approaches for the early prevention and treatment of AD [Alzheimer’s disease],” researchers wrote. “The present study has important implications for improving not only oral health but also neurological health worldwide,” they concluded. Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Measuring levels of key proteins in patients' saliva may be a relatively easy way for dentists and even patients themselves to track the progression of gum disease (periodontitis), suggests a new study led by Penn Dental Medicine researchers. In the study, the researchers monitored and tested saliva samples from more than 400 patients for up to a year and a half. They found that on average, patients with moderate to severe progression of periodontitis showed substantial increases in nine inflammation-related signaling proteins in saliva. The study appears in the December Journal of Clinical Periodontology, a 50th anniversary edition that showcases particularly high-quality research. "One can imagine a saliva test kit, based on such findings, that dentists could use and even periodontitis patients could use at home—it could be a very useful personalized-dentistry tool for assessing risk and tailoring care," says study lead author Flavia Teles,DDS, MS, DMSc, Associate Professor, Department of Basic & Translational Sciences, at Penn Dental Medicine. Between 20 and 50 percent of the global population have some level of periodontitis, including about 64 million people in the U.S. If untreated, this chronic bacterial infection and inflammation of gums often leads to the loss of the bone that anchors teeth, which can cause tooth loss. This study enrolled 302 individuals with early to moderate/severe periodontitis, and 113 individuals without periodontitis. Subjects' periodontitis status and progression were assessed every two months for a year. They also had saliva and blood samples taken; the saliva samples were tested for 10 inflammation-linked proteins, and the blood samples for five. After a year, researchers gave periodontitis subjects standard non-surgical periodontal therapy and checked them again three and six months later. The results showed that periodontitis patients who had the most disease progression during the year had significantly higher levels of several inflammation-related signaling proteins in their saliva. These included interferon-gamma, IL-6, VEGF, IL-1β and MMP-8. Following treatment, these levels subsided. The levels of such proteins in subjects' blood did not differ significantly by degree of disease progression, although MMP-8, MMP-9, and C-reactive protein, did fall significantly following treatment. The findings suggest that changes in levels of inflammation-related proteins in saliva over time can help assess the risk of periodontitis progression as well as treatment effectiveness —and that blood levels also may be helpful in the latter case. Contact: Beth Adams, [email protected] SOURCE PENN DENTAL MEDICINE WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED