Background: Periodontal disease has been linked to the development of Alzheimers disease in people. It is theorized that the chronic inflammatory condition characteristic of oral dysbiosis in patients with periodontal disease leads to disruption of the blood-brain barrier, cytotoxin- and pathogen-induced brain damage, and accumulation of neurotoxic β-amyloid. In this inflammatory theory of Alzheimers disease, β-amyloid-a known antimicrobial protein-accumulates in response to oral pathogens. Canine cognitive dysfunction is considered a naturally occurring animal model of human Alzheimers disease. Like humans, periodontal disease is quite common in dogs; however, a link between periodontal disease and cognitive dysfunction has not been identified in this species.
Aim: The purpose of this prospective investigation was to compare visual periodontal scores (from digital oral photographs) with numerical (0-54) cognitive assessment questionnaire forms in aging dogs with and without a clinical diagnosis of canine cognitive dysfunction.
Methods: A visual analogue scale (0-4) was used to score the severity of periodontal disease in 21 aging dogs: 11 dogs with a clinical diagnosis of presumptive canine cognitive dysfunction and 10 dogs without a clinical history of cognitive decline. Individuals scoring the dental photographs were blinded to all case information, including cognitive assessment scores. Cognitive assessment scores were compared with periodontal disease scores for all dogs.
Results: There was a significant (P
Key words: Keywords: Canine, Dog, Periodontal, Brain, Cognitive, Dementia, Amyloid, Alzheimers
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