Potential mechanisms between periodontitis and Alzheimer's disease: a scoping review

Research has suggested 2 potential mechanisms by which the periodontal inflammatory response may communicate to distant organs: 1) direct translocation of periodontal bacteria from the oral cavity to another organ system; and 2) inflammation as a result of metastatic periodontal inflammation. The purpose of this scoping review is to explore these mechanisms as potential mediators between periodontitis and Alzheimer's disease.

A reiterative literature search of peer-reviewed articles was performed in the PubMed and Scopus databases using keywords or combinations such as Alzheimer's disease AND periodontitis OR periodontal disease AND inflammation.

A total of 777 articles were identified. After eliminating duplicates and reviewing titles and abstracts, 84 articles were selected for full-text review. Following full-text review, 19 articles met the eligibility criteria for the study.

The review of the literature highlights how periodontitis may contribute to neuroinflammation by the introduction of periodontal bacteria and/or proinflammatory cytokines locally produced at the periodontium.

Inflammation is an important mechanism in the onset and progression of both periodontitis and Alzheimer's disease. Nevertheless, further studies are necessary to better understand the multifactorial pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.