Robert D. Follweiler D.D.S.,P.A. Periodontology and Laser
Technology
Creating and Maintaining Foundations of Oral Health
901 East Ocean Boulevard Stuart Florida 34994 772-283-1400
Please visit our web site
www.Follweilerperio.com
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According to
studies at New York University published in August of 2010 periodontal disease may
signal a risk of cognitive dysfunction associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Cognitive dysfunction refers to the brains diminished ability to process
information.
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Study leader Dr. Angela Kamer and
colleagues conducted a meta-analysis involving 20 years of data that supports a
possible causal link between periodontal disease, or gum inflammation, and
Alzheimer's disease, which involves brain inflammation. "The research
suggests that cognitively normal subjects with periodontal inflammation are at
an increased risk of lower cognitive function compared to cognitively normal
subjects with little or no periodontal inflammation," Kamer said in a
statement.
Kamer's team then compared cognitive
function at ages 50 and 70, using the Digit Symbol Test, a part of the standard
measurement of adult IQ. The researchers did an analysis of periodontal
inflammation and cognitive function in 152 subjects in the Glistered Aging
Study, involving Danish men and women over a 20-year period ending in 1984,
when the subjects were all age 70.
The
study found that periodontal inflammation at age 70 was strongly associated
with lower Digit Symbol Test scores at age 70. Subjects with periodontal
inflammation were nine times more likely to test in the lower range of the
Digit Symbol test compared to subjects with little or no periodontal
inflammation.
Periodontal or gum disease leads to loss of
bone and other supporting structures in the mouth. This bone loss accounts for
the great majority of tooth loss in adults.
Tooth
loss is a significant predictor of mortality independent of health factors,
socio-economic status, and lifestyle in older adults, with a stronger
association in females.
These two factors alone show how constant
inflammation and infection in the mouth may affect the entire body. Stop
periodontal disease at the earliest stages and protect your entire body.
