07/24/2025
In case you didn't realize that cleanings are not just for a healthy smile. A study has found the bacteria in gum disease, P. gingivalis, to be in Alzheimer's brain tissue! This is another finding linking overall oral health to our body's health. Did you know P. gingivalis also affects cardiovascular health, diabetes, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and pregnancy outcomes? Staying on top of your cleanings to prevent gum disease can help your overall health đź‘„
đź‘„ Recent research has increasingly supported the hypothesis that Alzheimer's disease may be linked to infection, particularly from bacteria in the mouth.
A study led by Jan Potempa found the gum disease-causing bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis in the brains of deceased Alzheimer's patients. Experiments in mice showed that oral infection with P. gingivalis led to brain colonization by the bacteria and increased production of amyloid beta, a protein closely associated with Alzheimer's.
The researchers also discovered toxic enzymes called gingipains, produced by these bacteria, in the brains of both Alzheimer's patients and individuals without dementia, suggesting infection may occur before cognitive symptoms arise. While this does not definitively prove that gum disease causes Alzheimer's, it provides strong evidence of a connection and points to oral health as a potential factor in the disease's development.
New drugs targeting these bacterial toxins have shown promise in animal studies, but further research is needed to confirm these findings in humans
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RESEARCH PAPER đź“„
Stephen S. Dominy, “Porphyromonas gingivalis in Alzheimer’s disease brains: Evidence for disease causation and treatment with small-molecule inhibitors”, Science Advances. (2019).
