Overview
- Published October 22 in Neurology Open Access, the study assessed 1,143 adults with a mean age of 77 using dental exams alongside brain MRI.
- Participants with periodontal disease showed a higher average white matter hyperintensity volume, 2.83% of total brain volume versus 2.52% in those without disease.
- After adjusting for age, sex, race, hypertension, diabetes and smoking, gum disease was associated with 56% higher odds of being in the highest white matter hyperintensity category.
- The highest-burden group included 28% of people with gum disease compared with 19% without, with the top quartile defined as more than 21.36 cm³ of lesions.
- No associations were found with cerebral microbleeds or lacunar infarcts, and the authors call for longitudinal and mechanistic studies to evaluate causality and potential benefits of oral-health interventions.