Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41875499›Full record

ArticleEBioMedicine2026

Oral microbiome perturbations link periodontal health to cognitive ageing in a large community cohort.

Fei Li, Xiao Liang, Jincheng Li, Mei Cui, Teck-Ek Ho, Jialin Li, Ziyu Yuan, Wen Meng, Edward Chin Man Lo, Min Fan and 5 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in EBioMedicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Fei LiDepartment of Preventive Dentistry, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, National Center for Stomatology, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai, China.
Xiao LiangState Key Laboratory of Genetics and Development of Complex Phenotypes, Human Phenome Institute, Research and Innovation Center, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Fudan University Taizhou Institute of Health Sciences, Taizhou, Jiangsu, China.
Jincheng LiState Key Laboratory of Genetics and Development of Complex Phenotypes, Human Phenome Institute, Research and Innovation Center, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Fudan University Taizhou Institute of Health Sciences, Taizhou, Jiangsu, China.
Mei CuiDepartment of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Teck-Ek HoDepartment of Preventive Dentistry, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, National Center for Stomatology, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai, China.
Jialin LiState Key Laboratory of Genetics and Development of Complex Phenotypes, Human Phenome Institute, Research and Innovation Center, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Fudan University Taizhou Institute of Health Sciences, Taizhou, Jiangsu, China.
Ziyu YuanFudan University Taizhou Institute of Health Sciences, Taizhou, Jiangsu, China.
Wen MengDepartment of Preventive Dentistry, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, National Center for Stomatology, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai, China.
Edward Chin Man LoApplied Oral Sciences and Community Dental Care, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China.
Min FanTaixing Disease Control and Prevention Center, Taizhou, Jiangsu, China.
Zhiyuan ZhangDepartment of Preventive Dentistry, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, National Center for Stomatology, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai, China.
Li JinState Key Laboratory of Genetics and Development of Complex Phenotypes, Human Phenome Institute, Research and Innovation Center, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Fudan University Taizhou Institute of Health Sciences, Taizhou, Jiangsu, China.
Xingdong ChenState Key Laboratory of Genetics and Development of Complex Phenotypes, Human Phenome Institute, Research and Innovation Center, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Fudan University Taizhou Institute of Health Sciences, Taizhou, Jiangsu, China; Qingdao Research Institute of Fudan University, Qingdao, Shandong, China. Electronic address: xingdongchen@fudan.edu.cn.
Haixia LuDepartment of Preventive Dentistry, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, National Center for Stomatology, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: ritalu0225@hotmail.com.
Yanfeng JiangState Key Laboratory of Genetics and Development of Complex Phenotypes, Human Phenome Institute, Research and Innovation Center, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Fudan University Taizhou Institute of Health Sciences, Taizhou, Jiangsu, China. Electronic address: yanfengjiang@fudan.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEmerging evidence implicates the oral-brain axis in neurodegeneration, yet large community-based studies remain limited. This study aimed to examine associations between periodontal health, oral microbiome, and cognitive performance, and to explore potential biological pathways underlying these relationships.

methodsWe conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 1157 participants from the community-based Taizhou Imaging Study, all of whom underwent comprehensive periodontal examinations, salivary microbiome profiling, and cognitive assessments. Periodontal health and microbiome features were treated as exposures, and cognitive performance as the outcome. Associations between periodontal indices and cognitive scores were assessed using beta regression models adjusted for relevant confounders. Cognition-related microbial features were identified using Multivariate Associations with Linear Models (MaAsLin3), followed by mediation analyses to explore potential pathways linking periodontal health to cognitive function.

findingsFive clinical periodontal indices were found to be inversely associated with cognitive performance. Ten microbial genera (e.g., Haemophilus), 21 functional pathways (e.g., FoxO signalling), and two co-abundance modules, including a Treponema module, were significantly related to cognitive function. Mediation analysis suggested that 11 features, including nitrate-reducing taxa and a Treponema-driven inflammatory module, may partially mediate the relationship between periodontal health and cognition.

interpretationThese community-based findings reveal microbiome-mediated links along the oral-brain axis and highlight periodontal health and oral microbial homoeostasis as potential targets for early prevention of cognitive decline.

fundingThis work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2023YFC3606300), National Natural Science Foundation of China (82373658), Clinical Research General Project of the Shanghai Municipal Health Committee (202240355), Clinical Research General Project of Shanghai Municipal Health Commission (202440188), Noncommunicable Chronic Diseases-National Science and Technology Major Project (2023ZD0510000), Brain Science and Brain-like Intelligence Technology-National Science and Technology Major Project (2022ZD0211600).

Indexed as

Cognitive AgingMicrobiotaOral HealthAgedCognitionCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPeriodontal DiseasesSalivaCognitive impairmentMediationOral-brain axisOral microbiomePeriodontitis

Identifiers

PMID41875499
PMCPMC13049429

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.