Too Busy to Floss? This Could Change Your Mind!

There is new research on how bacteria involved in gum disease can travel through the body, exuding toxins connected to Alzheimer’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis and aspiration pneumonia.  Experiments in mice, using  bacteria from people with Alzheimer’s disease, showed that the bacteria can find their way from mouth to brain.  The bacterium is Porphyromonas gingivalis (P g for short).  It is involved in periodontitis – inflammation of the gums. According to Jan Potempa, PhD, DSC, a professor at the University of Louisville School of Dentistry and head of the Department of Microbiology at Jagiellonion University in Krakow, Poland, oral hygiene is important and will decrease the risk of many serious diseases. Researchers  compared brain samples of deceased people with and without Alzheimer’s disease, same age at death, and found that P g was more common in the samples from people with Alzheimer’s , as evidenced by DNA and the presence of certain key toxins.  Studies in mice showed that P g can move from mouth to brain. An experimental drug that blocks bacterial toxins is in phase 1 clinical trial for Alzheimer’s.  About 20% of people have low levels of P g in their gums by age 30.  While not necessarily harmful, if it grows to large numbers it creates inflammation. Smokers and older people are at increased risk.  

The take-home message here is clear.  Brush your teeth and floss regularly.  Visit your dentist and dental hygienist, at least yearly.  

Sadja Greenwood, MD, MPH