The relationship between periodontal disease and cognitive impairment in older adults of Korea

Abstract

Aims A potential association between the periodontal disease and cognitive impairment has been suggested, but the results are not yet conclusive. This study investigated the association between the two diseases. Methods and results This study included 140 individuals (M: 48, F: 92, average age: 77.2). For assessing cognitive ability, MMSE-KC was used. The BGI index categorizes the periodontal disease based on important clinical parameters. In model 1 using the BGI index and the number of residual teeth as independent variables, the cognitive function status was significantly lower in the DL/MB group (beta = -0.294), DL/LB group (beta = -0.237). In Model 2 including systemic disease was the DL/MB group (beta = -0.316) and in Model 3 which also added demographic characteristics, the DL/MB group (beta = -0.229) was identified as a related factor (p < .05). Conclusion It can be concluded that periodontal disease is strongly associated with cognitive ability.