Periodontal disease and brain amyloid pathology in mild cognitive impairment

Abstract

Introduction: Increases in brain -amyloid protein (A) levels have been demonstrated in animal models following oral inoculation of periodontopathogens or their enzyme gingipain. We investigated the association between periodontitis and brain A protein levels in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods: An observational study was designed. All participants underwent a periodontal examination and an amyloid-PET scan. Subsequently, the following groups were established: MCI and suspected Alzheimer disease (AD) (MCI/A+ group) (n = 45); MCI and suspected non-AD pathology (MCI/A— group) (n = 59); cognitively healthy elderly individuals Results: Patients with moderate-severe periodontitis had a higher risk of abnormal accumulation of A in the brain, with an odds ratio (OR) of 3.30 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.30—8.26) when comparing patients from the MCI/A+ and MCI/A— groups, and an OR of 4.94 (95% CI, 1.65—14.84) when comparing the MCI/A+ group against the non-MCI/A— group. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that periodontal disease may be associated with anomalous accumulation of cerebral A protein in older people, independently of cognitive impairment.