Abstract Inhaled air pollutants (AirP) comprise extraordinarily diverse particles, volatiles, and gases from traffic, wildfire, cigarette smoke, dust, and various other sources. These pollutants contain numerous toxic components, which collectively differ in relative levels of components, but broadly share chemical classes. Exposure and health outcomes from AirP are complex, depending on pollutant source, duration of exposure, and socioeconomic status. We discuss examples in the current literature on organ responses to AirP, with a focus on lung, arteries, and brain. Some transcriptional responses are shared. It is well accepted that AirP contributes to Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions in the Gero-Exposome. However, we do not know which chemical compounds initiate these changes and how activation of these transcriptional pathways is further modified by genetics and prenatal development.
Abstract Poor oral health is associated with cardiovascular disease and dementia. Potential pathways include sepsis from oral bacteria, systemic inflammation, and nutritional deficiencies. However, in post-industrialized populations, links between oral health and chronic disease may be confounded because the lower socioeconomic exposome (poor diet, pollution, and low physical activity) often entails insufficient dental care. We assessed tooth loss, caries, and damaged teeth, in relation to cardiovascular and brain aging among the Tsimane, a subsistence population living a relatively traditional forager-horticulturalist lifestyle with poor dental health, but minimal cardiovascular disease and dementia. Dental health was assessed by a physician in 739 participants aged 40–92 years with cardiac and brain health measured by chest computed tomography (CT; n = 728) and brain CT (n = 605). A subset of 356 individuals aged 60+ were also assessed for dementia and mild cognitive impairment (n = 33 impaired). Tooth loss was highly prevalent, with 2.2 teeth lost per decade and a 2-fold greater loss in women. The number of teeth with exposed pulp was associated with higher inflammation, as measured by cytokine levels and white blood cell counts, and lower body mass index. Coronary artery calcium and thoracic aortic calcium were not associated with tooth loss or damaged teeth. However, aortic valve calcification and brain tissue loss were higher in those who had more teeth with exposed pulp. Overall, these results suggest that dental health is associated with indicators of chronic diseases in the absence of typical confounds, even in a population with low cardiovascular and dementia risk factors.