Chronic gum inflammation, known as periodontitis, is associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, researchers from Taiwan report.

Dr. Yu-Chao Chang’s team from Chung Shan Medical University in Taichung City used data from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database to examine whether patients age 50 or older with chronic periodontitis had an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

They found no overall link between periodontitis and Alzheimer’s, but people who had the chronic gum inflammation for 10 or more years were 70% more likely than people without periodontitis to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

The link between long-term periodontitis and Alzheimer’s was present even after researchers adjusted for other factors that might influence the development of Alzheimer’s, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and urban environment.

“Our findings support the notion that infectious diseases associated with low-grade inflammation, such as chronic periodontitis, may play a substantial role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease,” the study team concludes.

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