DENTAL CARE

Q: Is It True That Gum Disease Is Related to Alzheimer’s Disease? A: Although this concept appeared in the news last week in a study that was reported, the idea behind it has been discussed for over a decade. The most recent study was just reported from Taiwan. Dr. Yu-Chao Chang and his research team was looking for a link between gum disease and Alzheimer’s Disease. They found that people who had “chronic gum inflammation” for over a decade were at a greater risk to develop Alzheimer’s Disease. Again this is an associational fact. People with one condition were also found to have the other condition. This is not necessarily cause and effect.

Sadly a drug to treat this horrible illness has not been found. Trial after trial continues to fail. All the while more and more people are being affected. In 2015, 5.3 million people were estimated to have this disease. The vast majority were over the age of 65. Alzheimer’s Disease is shown to exhibit memory changes, language changes and other changes in daily behavior. Current medical thought is striving to find a cause in hopes that this will lead to a cure. Other people believe that if we find the cause, then prevention becomes attainable as it does in other diseases. A most notable example of this is heart disease. We know that there are various modifiable risk factors. When we control these factors, then we see a decrease in the incidence of heart disease an it’s associated mortality.

One current thought about Alzheimer’s Disease is that it is a result of a continual state of inflammation. We call this continual state, a chronic state. Whenever the body is attacked a process is started that we call inflammation. Although we know that when something is inflamed it does not feel good, the inflammatory process is actually for our benefit. It is the bodies response to an attack or invasion by bacteria, viruses or foreign bodies that will affect our general health. One thought is that inflammation in the brain will move the disease forward by creating plaques that kill healthy cells. We tend to think of the mouth as it’s own little world with little relation to the rest of the body. This could not be further from the truth. Oral infections and particularly gum disease have a wide ranging set of effects on the entire body. Another study from New York University by Dr. Angela Kamer related reduced cognition to gum inflammation. Gum disease creates an infectious process that moves through the body. A bacteria that is a part of this process is called a spirochete. This bacteria has also linked to Alzheimer’s Disease. Patients with gum inflammation have heavy bacteria laden plaques. These bacteria travel within us and affect the heart and the brain.

Since science does not have a magic drug to deal with Alzheimer’s Disease, medicine currently is directing it’s efforts toward prevention. As with so many things in the body, we strive to reduce those factors and situations which lead to long term inflammation. Eating a whole food plant based diet does a tremendous amount to reduction of many diseases. Daily oral hygiene may turn out to be as important as daily exercise is the reduction of many disease processes. Proper brushing and flossing coupled with a professional cleaning performed by our excellent hygiene staff is critical to keeping gums and underlying bones healthy and free of disease. I don’t propose to suggest that good oral care will solve all the world’s ills, but it is an important component as we get older. We need stay vital and active as the years pass. A key to this is our health. A vital key to our health is our oral health. Has it been a while for a preventive visit. Do yourself a favor and pick up the phone and schedule a visit. I look forward to seeing all off my established patients and meeting many new faces which happens daily. Call 440.951.7856 and let’s get together. Your overall health may depend on it.

The Healthy Smile 34586 Lakeshore Boulevard (¼ mile west of Route 91 on Lakeshore Blvd) Eastlake, Ohio 44095 440-951-7856 Severance Medical Arts, Suite 603 5 Severance Center Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118 216-371-2333 www.jeffreygrossdds.com