People with Many Cavities Are Also at Risk for 'Brain Health'

Dental Health Closely Linked to Brain Health
US Research Team Analyzes Data from 'BioBank'

New research has drawn attention by revealing that poor dental health, such as cavities and tooth loss, can negatively affect brain health.

According to the medical media outlet HealthDay News on the 4th, Dr. Cyprien Rivi?re and his research team from the Department of Neurology at Yale University School of Medicine analyzed genetic tests and MRI imaging data of about 40,000 adults (average age 57) who experienced strokes between 2014 and 2021 from the UK Biobank database. They discovered a close correlation between dental health and brain health.

The Biobank database contains genetic, lifestyle, and health information of approximately 500,000 individuals. Dr. Rivi?re’s team used this data to reveal the connection between teeth and the brain.

[Photo by Getty Images Bank]

According to the research team, individuals with genetic factors related to dental health issues such as cavities or tooth loss may show signs of declining brain health.

The team selected participants carrying genetic variants associated with dental health and analyzed whether they had microstructural brain damage.

As a result, people genetically predisposed to frequent cavities and wearing dentures had a 24% higher risk of developing white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), an abnormal finding most commonly seen in stroke patients.

White matter of the brain / Photo by Yonhap News

The reason for this association is presumed to be that worsening dental health induces low-grade inflammation in the body, which negatively affects the vascular endothelium.

However, since most study participants were of European descent, the research team emphasized the need for studies involving multiple ethnic groups.

In response, Joseph Broderick, Professor of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, commented that other risk factors such as smoking and diabetes may have a greater impact on oral health than genetic markers.

The research findings are scheduled to be presented at the annual scientific meeting of the American Stroke Association, held in Dallas on the 8th.

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