The Association of Periodontal Status, Salivary Flow Rate, Salivary Cortisol Levels, and Cytokine Levels with Cognitive Status in Elderly Subjects.

Background/objectives: Aging is associated with a decline in physiological and cognitive functions. Periodontitis, a disease affecting the periodontal tissues, increases in prevalence with age. Bacteria and inflammatory mediators resulting from periodontitis can trigger neuroinflammation and potentially accelerate the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the association between periodontal status, salivary flow rate, salivary cortisol levels, and cytokine levels with cognitive status in elderly Indonesian subjects.

Methods

This cross-sectional study involved 70 participants aged ≥ 60 years from several social institutions in Jakarta and the Dental Hospital, Faculty of Dentistry, Universitas Indonesia. All participants provided written informed consent before the examination. Periodontal parameters, including plaque score, calculus index, bleeding on probing, number of remaining teeth, and functional tooth units, were assessed. Unstimulated salivary flow was collected over five minutes, and salivary cortisol levels were measured. Gingival crevicular fluid samples from the deepest periodontal pockets were collected to measure cytokine levels (TNF-α and IL-1β). Both cortisol and cytokine levels were analyzed using ELISA. Cognitive function was evaluated using the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test.

Results

Plaque score, calculus index, and bleeding on probing were moderately associated with cognitive scores (p < 0.05). In contrast, the number of remaining teeth, functional tooth units, periodontitis severity, salivary flow rate, salivary cortisol, and cytokine levels were not significantly associated with cognitive scores (p > 0.05).

Conclusions

These findings suggest that elderly individuals with cognitive impairment tend to have poorer periodontal health than those with normal cognitive function.