Groundbreaking new research has been able to link Alzeihmer's disease to poor dental hygiene. The discovery could bring new therapies and prevention strategies if confirmed by further investigation.
The study was done by the University of Central Lancashire in the UK. The team discovered that a bacterium called porphyromonas gingivalis was present in people with dementia when the patient was alive. The bacterium is not unknown. In fact it is the principal cause of periodontal disease.
10 brain samples were donated to the research team for the study under a program called Brains for Dementia Research. Those 10 affected brains were then compared to another set of 10 brains from healthy donors.
The bacterium usually enters the blood stream through trivial activities such as chewing and eating. But it can also enter the bloodstream after dental treatment that is invasive. Then the bacteria makes its way to the brain.
The brain in response to the presence of the bacterium, mounts its own immune defense, releasing chemicals that can kill neurons.
This finding is not completely novel. There had been prior suspicion of a link between the lack of proper dental hygiene and the development of Alzeihmer's. A study published in 2010 in fact had been able to establish at least the suspicion of a link between gum disease and Alzeihmer's.
The program is ongoing, and as more donated brain tissue comes available, the results of the study will be consolidated or proven.
Source : MNT/ 7.31.13
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