Gum disease linked to increased risk of Alzheimer's disease

Conclusion This was an interesting study that identified a possible link between two conditions, but it may not be a strong enough piece of research to provide definitive estimates of the size of the risk. The study has a number of weaknesses: If the researchers had used more of the data available rather than taking a random sample to select a cohort, there may have been more cases of CP and AD to use in their analysis. This may have given a better insight into any association. The study did not give any details of how CP was treated or managed, so we don't know if there were any differences between people with CP who did go on to develop AD and those who did not. Although the researchers did take into consideration a number of other risk factors that could have affected the results (such as other health conditions), there may be others that affect the risk of developing both CP and AD that weren't taken into account. It's possible the numbers of people with CP and those with AD may have been underestimated because of the way data were recorded in this database and how the conditions were diagnosed. For example, people may have had early AD, which caused them to have poor dental hygiene before a diagnosis of AD was made. Alternatively, CP may have been present in people in the non-CP group, as diagnosis is reliant on regular dental check-ups, which may not have taken place. Further studies that look at larger numbers of people and follow them forwards in time ...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Neurology Source Type: news