Periodontitis and Stroke: When the Mouth Becomes a Threat to the Brain

When most people think of stroke, they consider high blood pressure, maybe smoking, stress, or age. What hardly anyone has on their radar, however, is the gums or more precisely, periodontitis. This chronic inflammation, lurking unseen between the teeth for years, can ultimately strike the brain.

The connection? It’s the same as with heart attacks: inflammation. When your gums remain chronically inflamed when bacteria carve out niches and penetrate deep into the tissue the immune system responds with sustained bombardment. Inflammatory mediators spill into the bloodstream, circulate, and do so with real consequences.

These agents make blood vessels porous and promote the buildup of deposits. That’s especially problematic in the arteries supplying the brain. If one of those vessels suddenly becomes blocked by a blood clot or a piece of dislodged plaque you suffer an ischemic stroke.

Studies show that people with severe periodontitis face a significantly higher risk of stroke. Not because of the mouth itself, but because of its systemic effect. It’s like a smoldering fire left to burn and sooner or later, it spreads.

And again: the great invisibility. Nobody feels the inflammation. No warning lights flash. No neurologist asks about your dental health. The system lacks this connection, even though it’s been proven time and again.

What must be done? Prevention proper oral hygiene, of course but also early detection, education, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Dentists should factor in neurological risks; neurologists should not ignore oral health.

Because sometimes a stroke begins where you least expect it in the gums. And that’s no exaggeration, but a bitterly consistent reality.