For a new study published in Neurology Open Access, an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology, researchers did dental exams and took brain scans of more than 1,100 people and found that those with gum disease had 56% higher odds of having a substantial number of white matter hyperintensities, or spots that reflect brain damage, than their peers with healthy gums. That’s a big deal because these brain changes (which become more common with age) have been tied to cognitive decline and dementia, as well as stroke and mobility issues, Souvik Sen, MD, MPH, study author and chair of the neurology department at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, tells SELF.