A new study has found that adults with gum disease may have more signs of damage to their brain’s white matter than people with healthy gums.
This discovery adds to growing evidence that oral health may be connected to brain health in ways scientists are only beginning to understand.
The research was published in Neurology Open Access.
White matter is the part of the brain that helps different areas communicate with one another.
It plays a key role in thinking, memory, balance, and coordination. When this tissue becomes damaged, it can lead to problems with how the brain works and has been linked to a higher risk of stroke.
The study looked at white matter hyperintensities—bright spots that show up on brain scans.
These spots are believed to represent damage in white matter and are often seen more in older adults. The researchers did not prove that gum disease causes this brain damage, but they found a strong connection between the two.
Dr. Souvik Sen, the lead author from the University of South Carolina, said the findings suggest that taking care of your teeth and gums could play a role in protecting your brain as you age. More research is still needed to fully understand the connection.
The study involved 1,143 adults with an average age of 77. Each participant had a dental exam to check for gum disease. Of the total, 800 people had gum disease, and 343 did not. All participants also underwent brain scans to check for signs of small vessel disease in the brain.
This type of disease affects the tiny blood vessels in the brain and can lead to white matter hyperintensities, microbleeds, or small strokes known as lacunar infarcts.
The results showed that people with gum disease had more white matter hyperintensities than those without. On average, people with gum disease had these spots covering 2.83% of their total brain volume, compared to 2.52% in those without gum disease.
To better understand the results, researchers divided participants into four groups based on the amount of white matter damage they had. In the group with the most damage, 28% had gum disease, while only 19% of people without gum disease were in this group.
Even after accounting for other factors like age, gender, race, high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking, people with gum disease were still 56% more likely to have severe white matter damage than those without gum disease.
Interestingly, the study found no link between gum disease and two other types of brain changes—microbleeds and lacunar infarcts. This means the link may be specific to white matter hyperintensities.
Dr. Sen noted that gum disease is both preventable and treatable. If future research confirms the connection, it may offer a new way to reduce the risk of brain damage by treating oral inflammation. For now, this study highlights the importance of regular dental care—not just for your mouth, but possibly for your brain too.
One limitation of the study is that the brain scans and dental exams were done only once, so researchers couldn’t track changes over time. Still, this work raises important questions about how oral health might influence brain health, especially in older adults.
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The study is published in Neurology Open Access.
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