Periodontal health status in people with Parkinson's disease: a French cohort study.

The deterioration of motor skills and fine hand movement impairment associated with Parkinsons disease (PD) hinders the performance of daily oral hygiene procedures. This study examined the periodontal health of people with PD using clinical and microbiological periodontal parameters measured at two time points during their medical follow-up. This prospective cohort study included participants with PD. Clinical oral health data, including oral hygiene and periodontal status, as well as microbiological samples were collected at baseline and after follow-up for at least 3 months. Forty people with PD were recruited (35% female; median [Q1-Q3] age: 65.3 [57.9- 72.8] years) and 35 were followed up. The participants had good hygiene habits, and the proportion of participants with a "good" plaque index improved during follow-up (+21 points, p = 0.239). The proportion of patients with periodontal pockets > 6 mm decreased from 20% to 3% (p = 0.131). This improvement was associated with a reduction in the Treponema denticola bacterial load (p = 0.003). The oral hygiene of people with PD improved during this study. Although these promising results require confirmation, they are an important step toward enhancing oral care support for PD patients. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03827551, registered on January 31, 2019, (https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03827551)