Gum disease is caused by an imbalance of oral bacteria. Your mouth is home to both “good” bacteria that protect your mouth and keep it healthy, as well as “bad” bacteria that cause inflammation. When the gums become infected, it can cause pockets of bone loss to form between the gums and teeth, which then can become infected with even more bacteria. Gum disease has already been linked to a number of other serious health concerns; including cardiovascular disease, heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and even cancer. Researchers from NYU and Weill Cornell say the evidence is growing that an imbalance of oral bacteria and resulting inflammation correlates with an increase in those two biomarkers mentioned above. They conducted a study in which 48 healthy seniors with no signs of dementia gave an oral swab and a CSF (spinal fluid) sample to be studied. The test revealed that patients with more harmful bacteria are more likely to have reduced levels of CSF amyloid-beta; a warning sign that the Alzheimer’s-related protein is gathering in the brain. The team believes the inflammation itself is the source of the problem, which means that the good oral bacteria that fight inflammation play as big a role as the bad bacteria that cause it. [service_video video_id="Eg7CmOi7lPU"]