Periodontitis is associated with cognitive impairment among older adults: analysis of NHANES-III
Background:Periodontitis is ubiquitous and associated with serological evidence of exposure to periodontal organisms, systemic inflammation and vascular disease. Dementia is a major public health problem likely related to a complex interaction between genetics and diseases associated with systemic i...
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Published in | Journal of neurology, neurosurgery and psychiatry Vol. 80; no. 11; pp. 1206 - 1211 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
London
BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
01.11.2009
BMJ Publishing Group BMJ Publishing Group LTD |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Background:Periodontitis is ubiquitous and associated with serological evidence of exposure to periodontal organisms, systemic inflammation and vascular disease. Dementia is a major public health problem likely related to a complex interaction between genetics and diseases associated with systemic inflammation, including diabetes, smoking and stroke.Methods:To assess relationships between systemic exposure to periodontal pathogens and cognitive test outcomes, data were analysed from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES-III), a nationally representative cross sectional observational study among older adults. We included 2355 participants ⩾60 years who completed measures of cognition and Poryphyromonas gingivalis IgG. Using SUDAAN, logistic regression models examined the association of P gingivalis IgG with cognitive test performance.Results:Poor immediate verbal memory (<5/9 points) was prevalent in 5.7% of patients, and 6.5% overall had impaired delayed recall (<4/9); 22.1% had difficulty with serial subtractions (<5/5 trials correct). Individuals with the highest P gingivalis IgG (>119 ELISA Units (EU)) were more likely to have poor delayed verbal recall (OR 2.89, 95% CI 1.14 to 7.29) and impaired subtraction (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.22 to 3.11) than those with the lowest (⩽57 EU), with dose–response relationships for both (p trend, delayed memory = 0.045, subtraction = 0.04). After adjusting for socioeconomic and vascular variables, these relationships remained robust for the highest P gingivalis IgG group (delayed verbal memory OR 3.01 (95% CI 1.06 to 8.53); subtraction OR 2.00 (95% CI 1.19 to 3.36)). In contrast, immediate verbal memory was not significantly associated with P gingivalis.Conclusion:A serological marker of periodontitis is associated with impaired delayed memory and calculation. Further exploration of relationships between oral health and cognition is warranted. |
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Bibliography: | PMID:19419981 istex:EFF4D64BB3860F295433A2E394A8CAE2A5E35C91 Related-article-href:10.1136/jnnp.2009.178509 ark:/67375/NVC-S50ZCMDH-T href:jnnp-80-1206.pdf local:jnnp;80/11/1206 See Editorial Commentary, p 1184 ArticleID:jn174029 ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0022-3050 1468-330X |
DOI: | 10.1136/jnnp.2009.174029 |