AAP Annual Meeting · Chicago, Illinois · Tuesday, November 5, 2019 Vol. 4, No. 3 Download the mobile app The 2019 Annual Meeting app is available for iPhone, Android, Blackberry and tablets. The app allows you to set up your personal schedule, receive last-minute alerts right to your phone or tablet, connect with other attendees, access floor plans and maps and view exhibitor listings and booth locations. Search “AAP 2019 105th Annual Meeting” in the Apple Store or Google Play to download today! To better meet the demands of patients This new tool promises a better, more innovative way to assess dental implant stability. »page 6 There’s no stopping the action n Time is counting down here at the AAP’s 105th Annual Meeting, but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on anything. There are still a variety of educa- tional sessions on tap for today. From 8 to 10 a.m., Rino Burkhardt, Rodrigo Neiva, Istvan Urban, and Giovanni Zucchelli will discuss “Management of Surgical Complications Via Soft Tis- sue Grafts.” At 10:45 a.m., moderator Barry D. 5 Attendees check out the Research Forum Poster Session during the 2018 AAP Annual Meeting. You can get a look at this year’s posters until 2:30 p.m. today. (Photo/today Staff file photo) 8see ACTION, page 4 Periodontal disease bacteria linked to Alzheimer’s By AAP Staff n A recent study has periodontists, experts in the treatment, diagnosis and prevention of periodontal dis- ease, encouraging patients to main- tain gum health in an effort to reduce their Alzheimer’s disease risk. The study, published in the jour- nal Science Advances, uncovered a potential link between P. gingivalis, the bacteria associated with periodon- tal disease (commonly known as gum disease) and Alzheimer’s. Research- ers analyzed brain tissue, spinal fluid and saliva from Alzheimer’s patients — both living and deceased — and found evidence of P. gingivalis. component of the amyloid plaques whose accumulation contributes to Alzheimer’s. the Gingipains, toxic enzyme secreted by P. gingivalis, were found in 96 percent of the 53 brain tissue samples examined, with higher levels detected in those with the pathology and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, researchers includ- ing co-author Mark I. Ryder, DMD, pro- fessor of periodontology at the Univer- sity of California, San Francisco, noted the presence of P. gingivalis increased the production of amyloid beta, a The study confirmed via animal testing that P. gingivalis can travel from the mouth to the brain and that the related gingipains can destroy brain neurons. These findings are noteworthy in that they suggest a biological mecha- nism for how periodontal disease bac- teria may play a role in the develop- ment and progression of Alzheimer’s. Although the study results add to the evidence supporting a link between gum disease and Alzhei- mer’s, additional research is needed to better understand the etiology of Alzheimer’s and how periodontal dis- ease bacteria can exacerbate progres- sion. An upcoming FDA Phase II clini- cal trial will assess the benefits of using a novel small molecule inhibi- tor of these P. gingivalis gingipains in hindering the development and progression of Alzheimer’s. This clini- cal trial may add further insight to the link between gum disease and Alzheimer’s.