Long-term exposure to Porphyromonas gingivalis causes inflammation and degeneration of brain neurons in mice that is similar to the effects of Alzheimer’s disease in human beings, according to the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). These findings suggest that periodontal disease may be an initiator of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers there report.
“Other studies have demonstrated a close association between periodontitis and cognitive impairment, but this is the first study to show that exposure to the periodontal bacteria results in the formation of senile plaques that accelerate the development of neuropathology found in Alzheimer’s patients,” said Keiko Watanabe, DDS, professor of periodontics at the UIC College of Dentistry and corresponding author of the study.