The Correlation of Poor Oral and Brain Health

When people think of brain disease/health, it's usually something that is internal in the brain. According to American Heart Association, 60% people have brain health issues. With more than half of the American population facing the issue, what could be some underlying causes that many are unaware of ? How detrimental are the the effects of poor oral health maintanance?

The Study

According to American Heart Association, researchers analyzed the potential correlation between oral health and brain health among about 40,000 adults during a duration of 7 years. The subjects were screened for genetic variants known to cause dental issues such as cavities and tooth decay, and also studied the relationship between the genetic risk factors for poor oral health and brain health. This may be reasonable due to the fact that the mouth and the brain are connected through nerves.

The Results

Through MRI images of the participants’ brains, researchers looked at signs of the damaged brain health and condition. This was shown through intensified regions indicating white matter, defined as accumulated damage in the brain’s white matter, which may affect a person's ability to remember, move, and function. A micro-structural damage may occur in the brain, which is where intricate architecture of the brain was altered as a result of the brain damage. This alteration of micro-structural change is significant when compared to images of a brain scan of a healthy adult with same controlled variables.

According to the American Heart Association, the analysis found that:

• People who were genetically prone to cavities, missing teeth or needing dentures had a 24% increase in the amount of white matter hyperintensities visible on the MRI images, meaning they have a higher risk of a silent cerebrovascular disease (condition that interfere with the blood flow of brain)

• People with genetically poor oral health had greater damage to the brain structure (a 43% change in microstructural damage score by MRI scans) Microstructural damage scores are measure/summary of the damage in structure of each brain region.

Ultimately, this shows the powerful influence of how oral health could be linked to other areas of the body. As scientifically proven that subjects poor oral health were at risk or possessed greater brain damage, aspects such as the function, condition, and even the shape of the brain could be significantly affected when there is inadequate oral health maintenance.

Sources:

“Poor Oral Health May Contribute to Declines in Brain Health.” American Heart Association, https://newsroom.heart.org/news/poor-oral-health-may-contribute-to-declines-in-brain-health#:~:text=Research%20Highlights%3A,to%20significant%20brain%20health%20benefits.