Could Harmful Mouth Bacteria Affect the Brain? What New Research Suggests About Oral Health and Parkinson’s Disease
Most people think of cavity-causing bacteria as a threat to teeth. But new research (Hyunji Park, Jiwon Cheon, Hyojung Kim, Jihye kim, Jihyun Kim, Jeong-Yong Shin, Hyojin Kim, Gaeun Ryu, In Young Chung, Ji Hun Kim, Doeun Kim, Zhidong Zhang, Hao Wu, Katharina R. Beck, Fredrik Bäckhed, Han-Joon Kim, Yunjong Lee, Ara Koh. Gut microbial production of imidazole propionate drives Parkinson’s pathologies. Nature Communications, 2025; 16 (1)) suggests that some harmful mouth bacteria may have effects that go far beyond the mouth. Scientists found evidence that a common oral bacterium linked to tooth decay may also influence the gut and, in turn, contribute to brain changes associated with Parkinson’s disease. That is a major reminder that oral health and overall health are deeply connected. The mouth is not isolated from the rest of the body. Bacteria that begin in the mouth may … Read more