Abstract
The purpose of this study is to document the improvement observed in two cases of Parkinson’s disease (PD) after dental treatment. The first subject is a man in his 60s with severe Parkinson’s disease; medication has not been very effective in this case. Prior to treatment, he was unable to stand without support due to rigidity. Just after removing as much of the dental infection as possible, he was able to walk, albeit slowly, and as a result of continuing treatment, one month later, the symptoms had significantly improved. The second subject is a woman in her 40s, who became aware of joint stiffness seven years ago, and was later diagnosed with PD independently at three hospitals. Her main symptoms were rigidity, knee pain, and speech disorder. The dopamine medication worked well against rigidity, but the symptoms reappeared after the medication stopped working. Her condition was significantly improved just after one tooth with an apical lesion was extracted. Although the underlying mechanism has not been clarified, I hypothesize that, at least in these cases, negative signals that passed through the trigeminal nerve to the midbrain affected predominantly the dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the midbrain. Removal of the harmful signals from the oral area resulted in normalization of the substantia nigra. Further research should be promoted with dental and medical cooperation.
Highlights
The underlying mechanism has not been clarified, I hypothesize that, at least in these cases, negative signals that passed through the trigeminal nerve to the midbrain affected predominantly the dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the midbrain
I hypothesize that harmful signals by apical lesions, periodontal infections, and infected dentin may be transmitted from the oral area to the midbrain via the trigeminal nerve, which is the largest of the 12 cranial nerves (Figure 3)
The substantia nigra is a basal ganglia structure located in the midbrain that plays an important role movement [10]
Summary
The cause of PD is unknown, and there is presently no cure, there are available treatments such as medication and surgery to manage its symptoms [2]. Four motor symptoms are considered cardinal in PD: tremor, slowness of movement (bradykinesia), rigidity, and postural instability [5]. I reported cases in which severe dementia improved dramatically after denture placement [7]. Considering the above possible association between PD and dementia, there may be a close relationship between dental health and brain function. No report has been published on a connection between dental treatment and PD. I report on two cases in which PD symptoms improved after dental treatment
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