Gum Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease

Posted on November 24, 2017May 19, 2021 by Richard H. Nagelberg, DDS

In honor of National Alzheimer’s Month, enjoy this repost from 3/3/2017. A 2016 study published in PloS One1 examined the impact of periodontitis on the rate of cognitive decline in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Sixty community dwelling patients with mild to moderate AD were cognitively assessed and blood samples were taken for detection and quantification of systemic inflammatory markers. Initial clinical assessments of periodontal health were conducted and the same assessme...

Systemic Antibiotics can be Bad but Heart Attacks are Worse

Posted on August 25, 2017May 19, 2021 by John Kempton DDS

I am going to ask the question, would you agree antibiotics can be bad but heart attacks are worse? As this is part 3 of my series, I hope I am hearing a unified “Yes”. In my opinion, systemic antibiotic should be used in an attempt to lessen the translocated pathogens. The high-risk patient is no longer capable of fighting, resisting, or diminishing the pathogenic loads on their own and the systemic antibiotic is an option. Yes there is a risk of antibiotic adverse reaction but a heart atta...

Dentistry is Medicine

Posted on August 18, 2017May 19, 2021 by John Kempton DDS

In the previous blog, we discussed that the use of systemic antibiotics, for high-risk patients may currently be the most effective method to treat the systemic impact of translocated periodontal pathogens. As periodontal treatment plans are formatted, utilizing a MyPerioPath test assists in determining the pathogen profile of the periodontal infection and provides evidence- based systemic antibiotic selection. If dentistry is medicine, then utilizing a test to confirm the presence of bacte...

Perio Pathogens CAUSE Atherosclerosis – Now What?

Posted on February 24, 2017May 19, 2021 by Richard H. Nagelberg, DDS

“[It is reasonable to state PD, due to high-risk pathogens, is a contributory cause of atherosclerosis. Distinguishing this type of PD as causal provides a significant opportunity to reduce arterial disease.]” This quote was cited in a previous blog post discussing the first journal article that demonstrated perio pathogens cause atherosclerotic plaques, which lead to cardiovascular events including heart attacks and strokes. The last half dozen words in the quote above are the most impactful; “...

Causality: It Was Only a Matter of Time

Posted on January 6, 2017May 12, 2021 by Richard H. Nagelberg, DDS

We as dental professionals have a significant role in combating the number one cause of death: cardiovascular disease. “High-risk periodontal pathogens contribute to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis” is a powerful piece and I recommend you read it. There is scientific evidence that [periodontal disease] PD caused by the high-risk pathogens can influence the pathogenesis triad in an adverse manner. With this appreciation, it is reasonable to state PD, due to high-risk pathogens, is a co...