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A new study from the University of Central Lancashire School of Medicine and Dentistry suggests that poor dental health and gum disease may be connected to Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

Albeit, prior studies have proposed a possible link between overall oral health and dementia, this study is the first to precisely cite a particular gum disease bacteria found in the brain.

Researchers examined donated brain samples of 10 people who had dementia and 10 people who did not have dementia. Eventually they discovered the bacteria Porphyromonas gingivalis in the brains of four of those with dementia.

This specific bacteria may have an affect in changes in the brain in Alzheimer's disease, contributing to symptoms such as confusion and memory loss or failing.

Everyday activities such as eating and brushing your teeth, with some dental treatment could serve as a gateway for this particular bacterium to infiltrate the brain.

"We are working on the theory that when the brain is repeatedly exposed to bacteria and/or debris from our gums, subsequent immune responses may lead to nerve cell death and possibly memory loss. This could mean that visits to the dentist could be vital for brain health," said senior research fellow at the university, Sim Singhrao, PhD. “The future of the research aims to discover if P. gingivalis can be used as a marker, via a simple blood test, to predict the development of Alzheimer's disease in at-risk patients.”

As of now, "it remains to be proven whether poor dental hygiene can lead to dementia in healthy people. It is also likely that these bacteria could make the existing disease condition worse,” said dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry , St John Crean.

Director of external affairs at the U.K.'s Alzheimer's Society, Alison Cook also responded to the discovery saying there have been a number of studies examining the link between dementia and inflammation caused by elements including poor dental health, but such a phenomenon is not yet fully understood. Yet this small study suggests that more research into this important area be conducted.

"We don't know whether the presence of these bacteria in the brain contributes to the disease, and further research will be needed to investigate this. It is possible that reduced oral hygiene, and therefore P. gingivalis infection, could be a consequence of later-stage Alzheimer's, rather than a cause. Other studies have suggested that infections, including oral infections, could be linked to Alzheimer's, and there is ongoing research in this area,” said head of research at Alzheimer's Research U.K., Simon Ridley, PhD.

Ridley noted that it would be imperative for further studies to consider looking back at retrospective dental records in order to find a correlation with oral cleanliness and neurological impairment during an individual’s life.