New gel reduces inflammation, bone loss by 50% in mice

When you breathe, talk and eat, bacteria and food particles enter your mouth and can attach to your teeth. Regular brushing and flossing helps remove them so they don’t cause health problems.

If left untreated, these bacteria and food particles remain on your teeth forming a sticky white substance called plaque. Not removed by regular brushing or annual dental cleanings, plaque can harden into a darker-looking tartar—a substance on teeth that cannot be removed by regular brushing.

Plaque and tartar build-up on your teeth can irritate your gums, causing infection. Symptoms of gingivitis include:

Research links gum disease to other conditions as well, including an increased risk for heart attack and stroke, erectile dysfunctionand poor cognitive function. And a 2008 study linked periodontal disease to an increased risk for certain cancers in men.

Maintaining good oral hygiene habits is the best way to prevent gingivitis. However, some people are more prone to periodontitis, such as tobacco users. Some people are genetically at higher risk for the development of gingivitis. And some medicines, such as e.g steroids and oral contraceptivesare risk factors for periodontal disease.

In order to completely remove the plaque and tartar buildup that causes gum disease, a dentist usually performs deep cleaning techniques such as scaling and root planing. These procedures allow the dentist to remove plaque and calculus from all tooth surfaces, including below the gum line.

If gum disease does not improve through scaling, the dentist may proceed with surgical options such as flap surgery, tissue and/or bone grafting, and tissue regeneration.

“There have been limited advances in the treatment of periodontal disease over the past 40 years,” he explained Dr. Yuqi Guoresearch associate in the Department of Molecular Pathobiology at NYU Dentistry and co-first author of this study.

“Root surface cleaning is the most common treatment, which is painful and often requires multiple visits to the dentist’s office. Our non-invasive gingivitis treatment aims to offer people an alternative at-home option for the prevention or treatment of gingivitis.”
— Dr. Yuqi Guo

According to Dr. Guo, the topical gel developed by the research team works by targeting and blocking the receptor for electric — a natural molecule produced during metabolism.

“The level of electretin increased in patients with periodontitis and us previous study found that increasing succinate led to the activation of the succinate receptor to stimulate inflammation and bone loss,” said Dr. Guo Medical news today. “These findings made the succinate receptor an attractive target for treating inflammation and bone loss—and potentially stopping gum disease in its tracks.”

For the study, Dr. Guo and her team administered the topical gel compound to human gingival cells in a laboratory setting. The scientists reported that the compound reduced inflammation and the processes that lead to bone loss.

The researchers also applied the topical gel to the gums of mice with gingivitis. They observed a reduction in local and systemic gingival inflammation, as well as bone loss, within days.

“When the gel was applied to the gums of mice with gingivitis every other day for four weeks, bone loss was reduced (by) 50%,” added Dr. Guo. “Mice treated with the gel also had significantly less inflammation and marked changes in the bacterial composition in their mouths.”

Dr Guo said the research team’s next steps for the topical gel are to test its effectiveness in a non-human primate model and determine its safety through toxicity tests.

“Our long-term goal is to develop both gel and oral strip formulations that can be used at home by people with or at risk of gum disease, as well as a stronger slow-release formulation that dentists can apply. pockets that form on the gums during gingivitis,” he continued. “Ultimately, we want to present a treatment that can be applied at home for human patients, as well as our fuzzy friends who are also bothered by gum problems.”

MNT also talk to Dr. Sally J. Cramperiodontist in Washington, DC, and a spokesperson for the American Dental Association, about this study.

“This is exciting, but preliminary research [b]Because it is based on studies and findings in cell cultures and animal models and has not yet been tested in humans, both healthy – to test safety – and people with periodontal disease – to test efficacy.”
— Dr. Sally J. Cram

“Ultimately, there would need to be randomized clinical trials of the experimental drug in people with periodontal disease showing that the drug has a positive effect on health outcomes and no adverse effects,” continued Dr. Cram. “Comparisons with conventional periodontal therapy would also be useful in determining the place of this therapy in the treatment of gum disease,” Dr. Cram added.