[Mind your teeth - the relationship between mastication and cognition]. / Denk aan je tanden - de relatie tussen kauwen en cognitie.

Elderly persons, especially those suffering from dementia, are at great risk of suffering from oral health problems such as orofacial pain and loss of natural teeth. A possible explanation could be that the cognitive and motor impairments resulting from dementia cause a decrease in self-care and as such, a worsening of oral health. An alternative explanation is that cognition and oral health influence each other. Animal studies show that a decrease in masticatory activity, for example due to a soft diet or loss of teeth, causes memory loss and neuronal degeneration. The relationship between mastication and cognition has also been researched in human studies, but a cause-effect relationship is not yet evident. It is likely that multiple factors play a role in this relationship, such as self-care, nutrition, stress and pain.

Comparison of restriction enzyme analysis and amplified fragment length polymorphism typing of Porphyromonas gingivalis isolated from spouses.

INTRODUCTION: In the past, theories on the transmission of Porphyromonas gingivalis between individuals have been based on, among other techniques, restriction enzyme analysis (REA) of bacterial DNA. Currently, amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) may be a more sophisticated alternative. The possibility of automatic pattern analysis and digital storage of the typing data enables the comparison of patterns from a large number of strains in a broad time frame. The aim of this study was to compare REA profiles with AFLP patterns of P. gingivalis strains isolated from periodontitis patients and their spouses. METHODS: Forty-two P. gingivalis strains were isolated from different sites in the mouth from six adult patients with periodontitis and their spouses. DNA of the bacterial isolates was subjected to REA and AFLP analysis. RESULTS: One single type of P. gingivalis was found in each individual with both methods, regardless of the site of isolation. Indistinguishable types were found in four of the six couples with both techniques. Different types were found in two couples with both the REA and the AFLP method. CONCLUSIONS: The AFLP typing technique confirms earlier observations on the transmission of P. gingivalis between spouses. This new technique can replace REA typing.