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Dental TribuneAsia Pacific Edition | 4/201606 WORLD NEWS By DTI LONDON & SOUTHAMPTON, UK: A number of studies have demon- stratedthatpoororalhygiene,acom- mon problem among elderly pa- tients, is a risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s disease. Now, a joint re- search project led by scientists at the University of Southampton and King’s College London has provided further evidence that periodontitis couldbeassociatedwithincreasedde- mentiaseverityandamorerapidcog- nitivedeclineinAlzheimer’spatients. Fifty-nine non-smoking patients with an average age of 77.7, mild to moderate dementia and a mini- mum of ten teeth who had not re- ceived treatment for periodontitis in the past six months participated in the study. The patients under- wentdentalexaminationsbyaden- tal hygienist at baseline and at the six-month follow-up. In addition, blood samples were taken to meas- ure inflammatory markers in their blood. The presence of periodontal dis- ease at baseline was associated with a sixfold increase in the rate of cog- nitive decline in participants over the study period. Periodontitis at baseline was also associated with a relative increase in the pro-inflam- matory state over the follow-up period. The researchers concluded that periodontal disease is associ- ated with an increase in cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease, pos- sibly via mechanisms linked to the body’sinflammatoryresponse. As the study only included a limited number of participants, the authors stated that the findings should be validated in a larger- cohort study. In addition, they highlightedthattheprecisemecha- nisms by which periodontitis may belinkedtocognitivedeclinearenot fully understood and other factors might also play a part in the de- clineseeninparticipants’cognition alongside their oral health. How- ever, the current evidence is suf- ficient to explore whether perio- dontal treatment might benefit the treatment of dementia and Alzheimer’sdisease,theysaid. Periodontitis is a common dis- ease in older people. The World Health Organization estimates that 15 to 20 per cent of adults aged 35 to 44worldwidehavesevereperiodon- tal disease. The condition may be- comemorecommoninAlzheimer’s disease because of a reduced ability to take care of oral hygiene as the disease progresses. Higher levels of antibodiestoperiodontalbacteriaare associatedwithanincreaseinlevels of inflammatory molecules else- whereinthebody,whichinturnhas been linked to greater rates of cog- nitivedeclineinAlzheimer’sdisease inpreviousstudies. Dr Mark Ide, from King’s College London Dental Institute and first authoronthepaper,said:“Gumdis- easeiswidespreadintheUKandUS, andinolderagegroupsisthoughtto beamajorcauseoftoothloss.Inthe UK in 2009, around 80 per cent of adults over 55 had evidence of peri- odontaldisease,while40percentof adults aged 65 to 74 and 60 per cent of those older than 75 had less than 21oftheiroriginal32teeth,withhalf of them reporting periodontitis be- foretheylostteeth.” The study, titled Periodontitis and cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease, was published online on 10MarchinthejournalPLOSONE. Periodontitis linked to faster cognitive decline in people with Alzheimer’s Endodontic & Restorative Excellence at the Apex of Africa SPEAKERS Christine Berthold (Canada) Elio Berutti (Italy) Guiseppe Cantatore (Italy) Arnaldo Castellucci (Italy) Antonis Chaniotis (Greece) Bernard Friedland (USA) Gianluca Gambarini (Italy) James L Guttman (USA) Markus Haapasalo (Canada) Sergio Kuttler (USA) Martin Levin (USA) Tara Mc Mahon (Ireland) Francesco Mangani (Italy) John Meechan (UK) Yoshitsugu Terauchi (Japan) Martin Trope (USA) Peet van der Vyver (South Africa) The South African Society of Endodontics & Aesthetic Dentistry 3-6 June 2016, Cape Town, South Africa www.ifea2016.com DIAMOND BRONZE SILVER SPONSORS OTHER SPONSORS AD DTAP0416_06_News 30.03.16 15:17 Seite 1 DTAP0416_06_News 30.03.1615:17 Seite 1