A new University of Southampton study has found a link between gum disease and greater rates of cognitive decline in people with early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, which according to the Alzheimer’s Society affects more than 520,000 people in the UK.

Periodontitis (gum disease) is common in older people and may be more common in those suffering from Alzheimer’s due to a reduced ability to maintain oral hygiene as the disease progresses.

Higher levels of antibodies to periodontal bacteria are associated with an increase in levels of inflammatory molecules elsewhere in the body, which in turn has been linked to greater rates of cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s.

The study, led in conjunction with King’s College London, cognitively assessed 59 participants with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s. Blood samples were taken to measure inflammatory markers in their blood and participants’ dental health was assessed by a dental hygienist.

In follow up assessments held six months later, the presence of gum disease at baseline was associated with a six-fold increase in the rate of cognitive decline in participants over the follow-up period of the study.

The study concluded that gum disease is associated with an increase in cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s due to mechanisms linked to the body’s inflammatory response. This suggests that the treatment of gum disease may also benefit the treatment of dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Professor Clive Holmes, senior author of the study from the University of Southampton, says:

These are very interesting results which build on previous work we have done that shows chronic inflammatory conditions have a detrimental effect on disease progression in people with Alzheimer’s. If there is a direct relationship between periodontitis and cognitive decline, as this study suggests, then treatment of gum disease might be a possible treatment option for Alzheimer’s.