Association Between Periodontitis and Amyloid β Peptide in Elderly People With and Without Cognitive Impairment

Background. Evidence that periodontal disease is a possible risk factor for cognitive impairment may be explained by the inflammatory hypothesis. The aim of this study was to determine whether periodontitis is related to the amyloid-β (Aβ) load in blood and the role of any such relationship in the association between Aβ and cognitive impairment.Material and methods: A case-control study was performed in elderly people diagnosed with cognitive impairment with or without dementia (cases) and cognitively healthy elderly people; data were collected on the medical and dental history of participants, and blood samples were drawn to determine Aβ levels using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results: The study included 166 cases and 122 controls. Higher blood Aβ1-42 levels (p=0.013) and higher Aβ42/40 ratio (p=0.058) were observed in participants with severe attachment loss than in the other participants. Periodontitis was a significant interaction variable, given that the association between Aβ1-42 and Aβ1-4...