Research Finds A Potential Connection Between Oral Health & Brain Health

This research from the Yale School of Medicine—which will be presented at the upcoming American Stroke Association International Stroke Conference—analyzed data from over 40,000 adults between 2014 and 2021. The researchers looked for differences in health outcomes over the study period and also screened the participants' genetic material. Specifically, they looked at more than 105 genes known to be connected to poor oral health outcomes.

In a nutshell, the results showed that people with genes that increased their risk for poor oral health were more likely to have severe brain damage after a stroke.

The data showed that those with poor oral health suffered worse damage to the structure of the brain—defined as more than a 43% change in the structure after a stroke—than those without those genes that contribute to poor oral health.

They also showed that those with a predisposition for poor oral health experienced a higher amount of damage to the white matter in the brain following stroke. White matter1 is essentially a large web of nerve fibers that exist in your brain and help different areas communicate with one another. White matter is important for thinking, memory, and cognition.

This study is limited, and more research needs to be done to confirm this connection and reveal if there is a positive side to this link (rather, if improving oral health might help with better brain health outcomes).

You heard it as a kid all the time: Sugar leads to cavities! Well, those words are still true today. When you eat sugar, bacteria in the mouth metabolize the sugars and turn them into acid, which damages the enamel of your teeth. Research shows2 that the more sugar you consume, the higher your risk for cavities.

There are plenty of natural remedies that support oral health and brain health. When it comes to memory, cognition, and focus, try one of these top 16 brain-supporting supplements (called nootropics) recommended by mbg health experts.

And if you want a more DIY practice, try oil pulling, or swishing oil around in your mouth for 10 to 15 minutes. While the practice might seem a little "woo-woo" or "out there," it may actually have some legit health benefits. As cosmetic dentist Victoria Veytsman, DDS, told mindbodygreen, "The whole premise behind oil pulling is that the fatty part of the oil attaches to the fatty cell membrane of the bacteria in your mouth, captures it, and then you spit the bacteria out with it."

The gut-brain connection is incredibly strong, and you probably already know that the health of the gut microbiome—aka, the trillions of bacteria living in our digestive system—has a huge influence on our mental health and cognition. But we also have an oral microbiome4 that needs tending to!

Specific genes that put us at risk for poor oral health outcomes (think cavities, missing teeth, and dentures) might also make us more vulnerable to brain structural damage and reduced white matter after a stroke, according to new research.