Commotie over link besmette tandheelkundige instrumenten en Alzheimer

Met bèta-amyloïd besmette tandheelkundige instrumenten zouden volgens de Britse professor neurologie John Collinge van University College London de ziekte van Alzheimer kunnen overbrengen. De American Association of Endodontics zegt dat deze conclusie niet zo maar getrokken mag worden en dat meer onderzoek nodig is.

Passage uit het persbericht van de American Association of Endodontics:

“There is no evidence that root canal treatment poses a risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease,” said AAE President Dr. Terryl A. Propper, a private practicing endodontist in Nashville, Tenn. “There are procedures in place to minimize infection risk from endodontic instruments such as files and reamers. Many endodontists employ single-use instruments and, if not, instruments are thoroughly sterilized prior to each use. The study published in the journal Nature makes no mention of dental procedures as a risk factor, and the study author, Professor John Collinge, said, “Our current data has no bearing on dental surgery and certainly does not argue that dentistry poses a risk of Alzheimer’s disease.”

De studie van Collinge is gepubliceerd in Nature