New Aspects of Gingivitis and the Body

The studies were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).  There is new information on why some people may be more prone to serious conditions comprise teeth and lead to other issues.

Researchers, led by a team at the University of Washington School of Dentistry, also found a previously unidentified range of inflammatory responses to bacterial build up in the mouth.

Inflammation

When bacteria  build up on tooth surfaces, it generates inflammation, which is the first step to an immune response by the body. What happens with inflammation is that the blood vessels in gums near the plaque start to leak fluid. This leakage contains immune cells and products to fight the irritating bacteria and the products that they produce.

Previously, there were two known major oral inflammation phenotypes: a high or strong clinical response and a low clinical response. The team identified a third phenotype, which they called “slow”: a delayed strong inflammatory response in the wake of the bacterial build-up.

The study revealed for the first time that people with low clinical response also demonstrated a low inflammatory response for a wide variety of inflammation signals.

Therefore understanding the variations in gum inflammation could help better identify people at elevated risk of periodontitis. Periodontitis is the inflammation of not only the gums but the ligament that holds the tooth to the bone, as well as the adjacent bone.

Also, this variation in the inflammatory response among people may be related to susceptibility to other chronic bacterial-associated inflammatory conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease.

Neutrophils

The protective response by the body, triggered by plaque accumulation, is there to save tissue and bone during inflammation. This mechanism, which was apparent among all three phenotypes, or responses, utilises white blood cells known as neutrophils. These cells are the first line of the immune response but they also regulate the bacterial population to maintain a stable condition known as healthy homeostasis. A healthy balance!

The neutrophils promote colonisation resistance, a low-level protective inflammatory response that helps the mouth fend off an excess of unhealthy bacteria and resist infection. At the same time, the neutrophils help ensure the proper microbial composition for normal periodontal bone and tissue function.

The research recognises the importance of regular cleaning and flossing, which prevent too much plaque build-up. Unhealthy balance!