Modern Britons Have More Gum Disease than Roman Britons

A study of skulls at the Natural History Museum by King’s College London has shown that the Roman British population from 200 to 400 AD appears to have had less gum disease than we have today. Gum disease is also known as periodontitis and has been covered before numerous times on this blog. The researchers examined 303 skulls from a Roman-British burial ground in Dorset for evidence of dental disease. Around 5% of the skulls showed signs of moderate to severe gum disease compared to today’s population which shows around 15 to 30% of adults have gum disease. Many of the Roman-British skulls showed signs of infections and abscesses and around half had caries (cavities). In addition the skulls showed extensive tooth wear from a young age likely due to their diet. The researchers say that Roman-British population did not … Read more

Using Ozone Nano Bubble Water to Treat Gum Infections

Ozone nano-bubble water is a new antiseptic agent that may potentially be used to treat periodontitis or severe gum infections. Researchers at the Tokyo Medical and Dental University published their research in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials. The researchers evaluated the bactericidal activities of ozone nano-bubble water (known as NBW3) against two bacterial agents that cause periodontitis. The research results showed that NBW3 can kill periodontal pathogens within 30 seconds of exposure with only a minor impact on the viability of oral tissue cells after 24 hours of exposure. Based on the in vitro results, the researchers concluded that NBW3 could become a potential way to treat periodontitis. Even so in vitro models can not be used directly to compare clinical situations When treating periodontitis (which is inflammation of oral tissues that surround and support teeth) the … Read more

Gum diease can lead to selective disarming of the immune system

A new study has shown that bacteria responsible for many cases of periodontitis causes dysbiosis in a two prong manipulation of the immune system. The researchers say that periodontal bacterium porphyromonas gingivalis acts on two molecular pathways to block immune cells’ killing ability while preserving the cells’ ability to cause inflammation. This protects these bacteria from being removed by the immune system and leads to bone loss and inflammation which is characteristic of periodontitis. The researchers say when inflammation occurs breakdown products are produced which causes dysbiosis and creates a vicious cycle. P. gingivalis is known as a keystone pathogen. Their presence may be relatively few in the mouth but they can exert a large pull on the overall microbial ecosystem. P. gingivalis doesn’t actually cause periodontitis but is responsible for causing the process that leads to it. The researchers believe that … Read more

High-Level Evidence to Identify Diseases and Disorders Associated with Periodontal Disease

An interesting article appears in J Can Dent Assoc, 2012, 78:c25, titled ” Separating Fact from Fiction: Use of High-Level Evidence from Research Syntheses to Identify Diseases and Disorders Associated with Periodontal Disease,” by Amir Azarpazhooh and Howard C. Tenenbaum. The article describes how it is known that periodontitis has been correlated with several diseases and attempts to look at the more robust associations. In the risks of keeping wisdom teeth page http://www.teethremoval.com/risks_of_keeping_wisdom_teeth.html this has been mentioned and several studies are cited. This page states “These potential systemic diseases that may be associated with periodontal disease include premature delivery of low-birth weight infants, coronary artery disease, coronary heart disease, renal vascular disease, stroke, diabetes, bacterial pneumonia, chronic obstructive lung disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.” The article discussed above uses meta-analyses and systematic reviews available up to June 2011. This article states “This high-level evidence … Read more

Oral Bacteria That Causes Periodontitis Delievers a One-Two Punch

Oral health care workers and scientists have know for many years that bacteria cause periodontitis (gum disease); however, they were not sure exactly what bacteria was response. Recently the bacteria that causes periodontitis (gum disease) has been identified by a University of Michigan study. This bacterium is known as NI1060. It was also found that this triggers a normally protetive protein in the oral cavity called Nod1 to trigger bone destroying cells. In normal circumstances Nod1 fights harmful bacterium in the body. Hence, it was that the bacteria that causes gum disease triggers a one-two punch by also causing normally protective proteins to then destroy more bone. In normal cases No1 helps to fight infection by recruiting neutrophils which are blood cells that act as bacterial killers. Nod1 also removes harmful bacteria during infection. When periodontitis (gum disease) occurs NI1060 … Read more