Dental Health and Dementia: More than Forgetfulness
Proposed Mechanisms of Interaction between Periodontal Disease and Dementia

Periodontitis has been linked to cognitive impairment and dementia after controlling for confounding factors such as age, sex, and educational attainment.^{4,15,17,64-67} Disease progression in periodontal disease is associated with dysbiosis and elevated chronic inflammation, and dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease have been linked to periodontal disease through both inflammatory and bacterial mechanisms.^{17,24,25,68-73} Periodontal disease has also been linked to increased systemic and neurological markers of Alzheimer’s disease.^17,74,75