Periodontal Disease & AD

[pal]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2626915/

Just stumbled across this older article and thought it was worth passing along . . .

"Periodontal disease (PDD) is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, and mortality in many studies, while other studies have begun to suggest an association of PDD with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This paper discusses how infectious pathogens and systemic infection may play a role in AD. The roles of infection and inflammation are addressed specifically with regard to known AD pathologic lesions including senile plaques, neuron death, neurofibrillary tangles, and cerebrovascular changes. A testable model of proposed pathways between periodontal infection and AD is presented including three possible mechanisms: a) direct effects of infectious pathogens, b) inflammatory response to pathogens, and c) the effects on vascular integrity. The role of gene polymorphisms is discussed, including apolipoprotein (APOE) epsilon4 as a pro-inflammatory and pro-infection genotype." (Emphasis added.)

[Julie G]

Great paper, Pal. The whole dental connection has been rattling around in my brain. Thank you for sharing. I'm convinced that dental health is strongly associated with overall health and E4 carriers are probably the MOST susceptible to complications from mouth bacteria/pathogens.

I recently stumbled upon this paper indicating that root canals may be JUST as dangerous as periodontal disease:
http://www.terfinfo.com/Files/Root%20Ca ... ease_2.pdf

With your permission, I'd love to share this paper on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/apoe4.info?ref=ts&fref=ts (I'm always looking for new material )

[Jamal]

Julie, unless there's a reputable population study, I wouldn't take the root canal stuff too seriously. One thing to consider. Stress can be toxic to our systems. Worrying about disease can cause disease, so it makes sense to not worry about things that really don't affect us. Just my take.

Thanks.

[pal]

Of course, please go ahead and post away Julie.

P.S. I haven't had a chance to thank you for your recent links to articles. Many thanks! Wow, that article re melatonin and breast cancer was super interesting. Underscores the far-reaching effects of melatonin.

[Julie G]

Thanks, pal. You figured out tomorrow's Facebook post for me

Yeah, Jamal- definitely not mainstream thinking on the root canal concern. I hope a reputable study IS done. It seems plausible to me that a "dead" tooth could be a conduit for bacteria that has access to our entire bloodstream; heart, brain, etc. It would be nice to not have to question authority. An example, my dentist still asserts (per the ADA stance) that mercury is perfectly safe used in amalgam fillings

[Jamal]

I agree that it doesn't seem to have been disproven, so it's still technically up in the air. The brave new world of "big data" should be able to solve this pretty simply by taking people's dental records and cross referencing them with medical records. It would be interesting to try to explore ways to make that happen.

I believe that the reason for a root canal, other than stabilizing the tooth, is to fill the area with inert material where bacteria can't breed. Yes, you'll find bacteria there, but not an infection, and no inflammation. You find bacteria in healthy teeth as well, I believe. Periodontal bacteria can't breed in your blood, so there has to be lots of it, i.e. an infection, in order for it to get into your bloodstream and cause problems. One or two stray cells won't do it. That's the theory I think.

[Welcomeaboard]

That is disturbing if there are any trials to back up what is said as I have two of those don't or do worry root canals. As far as a dentist saying the Ada is right is covering his risk. Who wants to say the Ada is wrong and be subject to mal practice claims by not agreeing, is my best guess.

[Jamal]

OK, if you believe these 2 studies, I think the conclusion would be that root canals are correlated with CHD independent of periodontal disease.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2596495/

http://jada.ada.org/content/140/8/1004.short

The reason is that the 1st link says that PD increases the risk of CHD in a range from 1.24 to 1.34 times from various studies. The 2nd link says that people who have had 2 or more root canals have an increase of 1.62 times. So having a root canal is a higher risk for CHD than having periodontal disease, something that a root canal is supposed to cure.

It's very tricky, though. I bet having been behind on a car payment is correlated with CHD. There are a lot of factors to control for. Does anybody know someone with AD who doesn't have a root canal?

[Janpeter]

Here is Mercola's take on root canals. He offers some alternatives which may require a more diligent approach by those of us who are our own health advocates.
My mother who is E3/4 as well, just found a natural dentist in Germany who used a fairly new alternative method for a root canal. However it took some effort and travel. I agree with Jamal about the negative consequences of having paranoia about everything that may impact one's health, especially if it prevents you from enjoying certain activities. However in this case prudence may be warranted.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/artic ... lague.aspx

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/artic ... ative.aspx

[KatieS]

As someone with 3 failed root canals and 4 titanium implants, I guess I should be worried. This dental damage was due to being reared in a non-florinated water and gum chewing as a teen. Now my gums are pristine with a lengthy regime of dental hygiene. Should the other two root canals fail, I will mention the zirconium option. Interestingly, my mother (3/4) only had one root canal, just a few years ago, and our hygienist exclaims how incredible her gums are for age 96.

I would like to believe that periodontal disease bacteria is more the culprit than the metal or inert root canal material. If metal was the problem, would not folks with orthopedic stainless steel or titanium plates and implants be higher risks for AD?