Alzheimer’s & Dentistry
Research has shown strong connections between Alzheimer's disease and conditions commonly treated at the dental office such as periodontal disease, chronic inflammation, and sleep apnea. These inflammatory states can affect as much as 70% of the population.
The leading theory is the Alzheimer’s disease arises from changes at the cellular level leading to the buildup of proteins in the brain. This is a protein that normally plays an important role in the growth and repair of nerve cells, but when these cells undergo changes, they become corrupted and destroy nerve cells, leading to plaque buildup or obstructions in the brain.
A recent study published in the “Journal of Alzheimer's and Dementia” adds to the abundance of evidence connecting periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory disease caused by aggressive bacteria and Alzheimer's disease. Angela Kamer, DDS, PhD writes, “The mouth is home to both harmful bacteria that promote inflammation and healthy, protective bacteria. We found that having evidence for brain amyloid was associated with increased harmful and decreased beneficial bacteria.”
Chronic inflammation causes a change in the bacteria, from ones that are healthy and consume oxygen, to ones that are very harmful and do not need oxygen to exist. Low-level oxygen situations also promote this type of bacterial differentiation. This brings us to our next dental/medical condition that leads to chronic inflammation and changes in bacteria.
Studies have found intermittent low oxygen levels, like those produced by obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), contribute to Alzheimer's disease.
What you can do about it:
Visit your dentist and ask for a periodontal risk assessment and learn what you can do to prevent or treat periodontal disease.
Ask your dentist to perform an airway evaluation, which is very simple and non-invasive, and may include some radiologic imaging. This will give you a good idea if a sleep study is necessary or a referral to a sleep physician is in order. There are also oral appliances that can be used to treat sleep apnea.
3. Your nutrition can influence brain health and lower the levels of harmful cell changes to these neural proteins. Increasing omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish, improve vascular health and are linked to lower amyloid plaque buildups.
Does Alzheimer’s disease run in your family? You may want to take it a step further and adopt two nutrition plans that have been shown to reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, the Mediterranean and MIND diets.
The Mediterranean diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fish, and other seafood, as well as olive oils, and low amounts of red meat, eggs, and sweets.
The MIND diet contains certain vitamins, high levels of carotenoid antioxidants (that slow the aging process), and flavonoids, which all reduce the levels of inflammation and aging of the brain as well as the body.
The easiest way to begin adopting these dietary changes is to “eat the rainbow.” Dr. Edwards recommends simply having a salad with fruits, nuts and vegetables that has all the colors of the rainbow. Doing this will often satisfy the needs of the MIND diet and will lead to you making healthier choices over time.
If you are concerned about your risk for Alzheimer's disease, periodontal disease or sleep apnea, contact our office at 636-583-2612 or email office@optimadg.info