Association between dementia and oral health

Kang,  Kyung Lhi

doi:2018.56.4.218

J Korean Dent Assoc > Volume 56(4); 2018 > Article

Journal of Korean Dental Association 2018;56(4):218-230.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22974/jkda.2018.56.4.003 Published online April 30, 2018.

치매와 구강 건강의 관계

강경리

경희대학교 치의학전문대학원 치주과학교실

Association between dementia and oral health

Kyung Lhi Kang

Department of Periodontology, School of Dentistry, Kyung Hee University

Abstract

According to the burst of aged people, researchers have focused on aging-related diseases. Cognitive impairment including Alzheimer's disease (AD), one of the representative diseases related to aging, has no treatment option until now. Recently, it has been revealed that systemic inflammation plays a fundamental role in the pathogenesis of AD. Previous studies have suggested the association between poor oral health and cognitive impairment. Poor oral health can cause dental caries, chronic periodontitis, multiple tooth loss, and poor chewing ability, etc. Especially, periodontitis is a well-known chronic inflammatory disease and affects cognitive impairment directly and indirectly by inflammatory products mediators. Therefore, reduction of pathogenic microbial burden and inflammatory products by treating periodontitis can be a therapeutic modality to prevent cognitive impairment or to slow down the progression of it. Future studies are necessary to elucidate the causal relations and plausible mechanisms between poor oral health and cognitive impairment.

Key Words: Alzheimer's Disease;Dementia;Oral health;