The Nuance
Do Fancy Electric Toothbrushes Outperform Old-School Ones?
Research suggests a specific type of powered brush may be worth the expense
Every week, the Nuance will go beyond the basics, offering a deep and researched look at the latest science and expert insights on a buzzed-about health topic.
Oral health matters — maybe a lot more than most people realize.
A recent study in the journal Science Advances found that the same bacteria that cause the gum disease periodontitis also turn up in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. The more of this gum disease bacteria a person has in their brain, the greater the amount of protein-related damage they tend to have. The same research team infected the mouths of mice with the periodontitis bacteria and found this led to an increase in Alzheimer’s-related brain proteins — a finding that suggests gum disease may contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s, at least in animal models.
This isn’t the first study to link gum disease to a serious medical condition. Research has found that people with gum disease are up to three times more likely to have a heart attack or stroke than those with healthy mouths. Experts have hypothesized that gum disease bacteria may slip into the bloodstream…
