People who are genetically predisposed to poor oral health also tend to have poorer brain health, shows a study by researchers from the Yale School of Medicine.
The big point:
Studying oral health is especially important because it is risk factor one can assess and control – like taking steps to effectively improve one's oral health.
What they said:
“We already know that poor oral health increases the risk of stroke, but we did not know whether poor oral health affected brain health. Brain health is a continuous measure that describes the functional status of a person’s brain using neuroimaging tools such as MRI (magnetic resonance imaging),” study author Dr Cyprien Rivier told Medical News Today (MNT).
How was it done:
Researchers reportedly analysed data from the UK Biobank, selecting individuals who had never experienced a stroke.
They looked for 100 genetic variants associated with poor oral health outcomes, such as missing teeth and cavities.
They then looked at brain scans to measure indicators of brain health.
The researchers found that the genetically-increased risk of poor oral health was associated with poorer brain health.
“People who were genetically prone to cavities, missing teeth, or needing dentures had a higher burden of silent cerebrovascular disease, as represented by a 24% increase in the amount of white matter hyperintensities visible on the MRI images,” Dr. Rivier said.