Is There a Connection Between Types of Bacteria and the State of Gum Disease?

Recent research has found that a “bacterial signature” exists, which enables scientists to be able to mark a shift from healthy teeth and gums to gum disease. In practice, this will be able to help dentists in knowing the stage of gum disease that a patient is at. Therefore, they will be able to provide improved advice and more accurate treatment.

Japanese researchers from the Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) have found a “bacterial signature” exists. This refers to the researchers finding that they can mark the point that a patient can shift from having healthy teeth and gums to gum disease.

Gum disease continues to affect so many people. As a result, any research that can help prevent, or at least slow the onset of, gum disease, is highly desirable.

In practice, if this research is confirmed as accurate, then dentists and their patients could benefit from increased insight into gum disease and better treatment plans.

What is gum disease?

Gum disease is a very common condition. For example, statistics show that around 90% of the world’s population has a form of gum disease [1].

There are different stages of gum disease. Gingivitis is seen as a rather mild form of gum disease. Periodontal disease is a severe form of gum disease.

Gum disease involves inflammation of the gums. This is caused by a build-up of plaque and bacteria. Plaque develops over a period of time, eventually wearing down tooth enamel. Consequently, tooth decay will develop, hastening gum disease.

An eventual consequence of gum disease is tooth loss, due to the bones around the teeth being too weak. Studies have shown that many bacteria types contribute to bone loss in gum disease [2].

Bacteria is another area of concern for the health of the mouth. Some bacteria can be good for breaking down food. However, the majority of bacteria is bad, and will contribute to gum disease.

Research

Researchers from the TMDU carried out the research, which was published in the journal mSystems [3]. Their study involved 21 patients.

The researchers took plaque samples from three sites within the mouths of the 21 patients. All 21 participants had been diagnosed with periodontal disease [3].

The three sites included one area that was “healthy”, one area that showed signs of gingivitis, and another area that clearly had periodontitis [3].

Researchers then interpreted the results by using a special technique called “metatranscriptomic” analysis [3]. This determined the different types of bacteria at each site.

The results showed that there were indeed clear differences in the level of bacterial composition between the three different sites [3].

Certain types of bacteria that are known to be associated with gum disease were, as predicted, higher in the areas with periodontal disease [3]. For instance, these included eubacterium nodatum and filifactor alocis [3].

What this means

By reviewing these three different sites, researchers were able to identify the key differences between them. Moreover, they were also able to review how different bacteria types affected each area [3].

This enabled the researchers to come up with a “bacterial signature” that should help dentists to identify early signs of gum disease, and provide more accurate recommendations for those who already show signs of gum disease. Finally, it could also help to slow the onset of gum disease.

Lead researcher Takashi Nemoto commented on the findings [4]. He suggested that the changes they observed between each site showed the “shift from health to periodontitis is accompanied by changes in both the structure and the complexity of the bacterial network” [4].

Nemoto said that previous studies had “explored differences in bacterial communities in healthy mouths or those affected by gingivitis or periodontitis” [4]. However, the research from the TMDU was innovative as it analysed how such “communities changed during progression from health to periodontitis” [4].

Researchers continue to find ways to tackle gum disease. Because of how common it is, there is no shortage of effort being put in to trying to improve treatment outcomes.

Thinking points…

• 1) A bad habit that many people have is nail-biting or chewing on a pen lid. Did you know that these habits involve bacteria coming into the mouth? Anything that goes into our mouths will include bacteria. What habits can you cut out?
• 2) As this study shows, it is important for gum disease to be picked up on early. At a check-up, a dentist can help to identify if you have signs of gum disease and give advice. Consider making an appointment!
• 3) If you are particularly concerned about gum disease, or know that you have gum disease, are you aware of scaling and root planing? These treatments involve a deep clean of the gums, and is known to be an effective way of improving gum health.

What we offer at Savanna Dental

Savanna Dental is a dental clinic based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. We provide our patients with a warm welcome, a comfortable experience and advice whenever needed.

We recommend that our patients attend our Calgary-based dental clinic twice a year for a regular dental check-up. When problems are detected, we have many treatments available. For instance, these include cavity fillings and root canals. We also have some cosmetic treatments too!

Importantly, we recommend brushing your teeth at least twice a day and flossing regularly. Moreover, eating healthily and trying to avoid sugary foods and drink is helpful.

In addition, all of our services at our Calgary dental clinic Savanna Dental are in line with the Alberta Dental Fee Guide.

We would love you to visit our Savanna Dental dental clinic in Calgary! You can find out more about us by visiting our website https://savannadentalclinic.ca.

References

• [1] Pihlstrom, B. L., Michalowicz, B. S., & Johnson, N. W. (2005). Periodontal diseases. Lancet. 366 (9499), p1809-1820.
• [2] Tominari, T., Sanada, A., Ichimaru, R., Matsumoto, C., Hirata, M., Itoh, Y., Numabe, Y., Miyaura, C., & Inada, M. (2021). Gram-positive bacteria cell wall-derived lipoteichoic acid induces inflammatory alveolar bone loss through prostaglandin E production in osteoblasts. Scientific Reports. 11 (13353). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-92744-5.
• [3] Nemoto, T., Shiba, T., Komatsu, K., Watanabe, T., Shimogishi, M., Shibasaki, M., Koyanagi, T., Nagai, T., Katagiri, S., Takeuchi, Y., & Iwata, T. (2021). Discrimination of Bacterial Community Structures among Healthy, Gingivitis, and Periodontitis Statuses through Integrated Metatranscriptomic and Network Analyses. mSystems. 6 (6). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/mSystems.00886-21.
• [4] Tokyo Medical & Dental University. (2021). That’s so meta(transcriptomics): Distinctive bacterial taxonomic and functional profiles in mouth disease. Available: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-metatranscriptomics-distinctive-bacterial-taxonomic-functional.html. Last accessed: 10th December 2021.