the immune response to gum disease
a previous study
by the university of toronto demonstrated that neutrophils are activated to fight bacteria present in the mouth. enzymes released by the neutrophils kill the bacteria, but can also corrode the dentin already damaged by the bacteria, potentially increasing tooth decay.
“it’s like when you take a sledgehammer to hit a fly on the wall,” professor yoav finer, lead author of the 2019 study and the george zarb/nobel biocare chair in prosthodontics at the faculty of dentistry
told uoft news
at the time. “that’s what happens when neutrophils fight invaders.”
could it be possible that the immune system takes the sledgehammer elsewhere too?
searching for the missing link
to find the link between gum disease and other inflammation-linked illnesses, the team first looked at a mouse model of periodontis. they found that presence of bacteria in the mouth was also correlated with an increase in neutrophils in the blood, colon, and lining of the abdomen. there was also in an increase of neutrophils in the bone marrow, indicating that the body increased production of these cells in response to the gum disease.
the researchers then looked at how this connects to humans. in an experiment that would make your mother cringe, volunteers were asked to not brush or floss their teeth for three weeks to cause gum inflammation. blood and saliva were collected periodically through this period, as well as for two weeks after respondents started brushing their teeth again. presence of neutrophils increased in the non-brushing phase of the experiment and then began to dissipate once volunteers resumed their oral hygiene routines.
“we believe this is the mechanism by which oral hygiene can impact vulnerability to unrelated secondary health challenges,” lead author noah fine, a post-doctoral researcher at the faculty of dentistry, also
told uoft news
. “neutrophil (immune) priming throughout the body can connect these seemingly distinct conditions.”
3 minute read
