Dr. Dan Sindelar recently sat down with Judith Miklossy, MD, PhD at the AAOSH Scientific Session to discuss her research on the role of oral pathogens in the progression of dementia.

Dr. Miklossy is one of Europe’s top researchers in this field. Her research presenting a potentially causal link between oral spirochetes and Alzheimer’s disease has rocked the medical and dental communities.

“We have done a lot of work during the last 20 years that several types of spirochetes can be involved in Alzheimer’s disease, and, following recent review, all the data which are existing in literature clearly shows an association—a significant association—between spirochetal infection and Alzheimer’s disease….There are several oral spirochetes which were detected by species-specific antibodies and species-specific DNA.”

Dementia is quickly becoming “one of the biggest global public health challenges facing our generation,” according to the 2013 World Alzheimer’s Report. The report states that, as there still is no cure for this disease, the number of Alzheimer’s cases is expected to double by 2030 and triple by 2050.

As this debilitating condition reaches an unprecedented number of individuals each year, it is especially important that we in the healthcare professions use the information that researchers like Dr. Miklossy are finding in order to educate and empower our patients to take charge of their health.