Dental caries could accelerate cognitive decline in dementia

Noncommunicable diseases could be common in patients who later develop dementia.

In a study published in PLOS Medicine, investigators used Finnish health registry data to better understand the relationship between noninfectious diseases and the risk of dementia in a group of more than 60,000 individuals aged 65 years and older who were diagnosed with late-onset dementia and over 310,000 controls. They sought to determine whether coexisting diseases could explain the link between severe infections and dementia.

Among 29 diseases that resulted in hospitalization and occurred up to 21 years prior to dementia diagnosis, two of them were infectious. At least one of the diseases — described as mental, behavioral, digestive, endocrine, cardiometabolic, neurologic and ocular — occurred prior to nearly half of the dementia cases and was associated with an increased risk of developing dementia. In addition, the investigators discovered that dental caries resulting in hospitalization were associated with accelerated cognitive decline. They proposed that severe infections could advance preexisting dementia through the release of inflammatory cytokines that weaken the blood-brain barrier, cause neuroinflammation as well as lead to the destruction of healthy synapses and formation of amyloid plaques. The risk of dementia following severe infections was greater among younger patients with early-onset dementia.

In a news article from Firstpost, experts indicated that treating dental caries and maintaining good oral hygiene could contribute to better brain health and delay cognitive decline. The investigators concluded that severe infections may be independently correlated with the risk of dementia. Further studies are needed to explore the role of preventive approaches in the incidence of dementia.

Read more: PLOS Medicine

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