Over 50% of the U.S. population over age 50 have periodontal disease (gum disease). For this reason, research studies are green-lighted all the time, to try to better understand the disease so that it can be treated, prevented, and even cured altogether. A new report was just published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology focusing on the immune system in relation to how Porphyromonas gingivalis (the bacteria that cause gum disease) affect the immune system.
Gums Under Attack
- P. gingivalis strikes by manipulating the body’s immune system. Normally a healthy immune system has natural processes that could obliterate bacteria such as P. gingivalis. However, these particular bacteria are especially crafty in their ability to disable the immune system’s ability to destroy them. Because of the high rate of gum disease, researcher Jannet Katz, D.D.S., Ph.D. from the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Alabama in Birmingham says, “We hope that the results of our study will ultimately help in the development of novel treatments that could prevent or ameliorate the chronic infection caused by the pathogen P. gingivalis.'”
Research Results
For the study, a portion of cells was treated with an inhibiting antibody, and the other cells examined were not treated. There was a marked increase of interferon gamma production in the treated cells, which in laymen’s terms means that gingivitis could potentially be halted with this process. The important thing is that treatment is started as early as possible for a high success rate. The research information could help to develop a future vaccine for gingivitis. Says John Wherry, Ph.D. and Deputy Editor of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, “Gum diseases and the infections that cause them can be incredibly stubborn and difficult to treat. What isn’t as well known is why these infections are so difficult to eradicate. These new studies now demonstrate that these bacteria go beyond merely evading our body’s defenses and actually manipulate our immune systems for their own survival.”
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