Periodontal Disease Linked to Greater White Matter Hyperintensity Volume Burden

TUESDAY, Oct. 28, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Periodontal disease (PD) is associated with greater burden of white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV), according to a study published online Oct. 22 in Neurology Open Access.

Jaclyn Meyer, M.D., from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Columbia, and colleagues examined the independent association between PD and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-verified cerebral small vessel disease features using data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities cohort. Periodontal status was categorized as PD (800 participants) and periodontal health (PH; 343 participants). Periodontal assessment was conducted at visit 4 and brain MRI at visit 5.

The researchers found that WMHV was significantly greater for participants with PD versus PH (median percentage WMH: 2.83 versus 2.52). There was an association for PD with the highest WMHV quartile, with crude and adjusted odds ratios of 1.77 and 1.56, respectively. There was a weak but significant association between WMHV and World Workshop Periodontal Profile Class. PD was not significantly associated with cerebral microbleeds or lacunar infarcts.

“This study shows a link between gum disease and white matter hyperintensities suggesting oral health may play a role in brain health that we are only beginning to understand,” coauthor Souvik Sen, M.D., M.P.H., from the University of South Carolina, said in a statement.

Abstract/Full Text

Editorial