Periodontitis associated with brain function impairment in middle‐aged and elderly individuals with normal cognition

Recent research has proposed that periodontitis is a potential risk factor for Alzheimer disease (AD). However, the relationship between periodontitis and the brain function of middle-aged and elderly individuals with normal cognition (NC) remains unclear. Analyzing the effect of periodontitis on brain function in the NC stage can provide clues to AD development and help achieve early prevention of dementia. The present study aimed to investigate changes in brain functional connectivity (FC) in NC with different severity of periodontitis to determine the effects of periodontitis on brain function. Both changed intranetwork FC and internetwork FC were found in the moderate-to-severe periodontitis group, and periodontitis was associated with brain network function impairment in NC. The present study indicates that periodontitis might be a potential risk factor for brain damage even in NC stage, and provides a theoretical clue and a new treatment target for the early prevention of AD.