A gel to save your gums!

NYU College of Dentistry researchers conducted tests on mice using human cells and plaque.

Periodontitis, or gum disease, is marked by three key components:

Speaking to EurekaAlert! Yuqi Guo, an associate research scientist in the Department of Molecular Pathobiology at NYU Dentistry and the study’s co-first author commented, “No current treatment for gum disease simultaneously reduces inflammation, limits disruption to the oral microbiome, and prevents bone loss. There is an urgent public health need for more targeted and effective treatments for this common disease.”

Previous research has linked succinate (a molecule produced during metabolism) to gum disease. Yuqi Guo’s team discovered in 2017 that elevated levels of “succinate activate the succinate receptor and stimulate bone loss.” The team therefore hopes that by targeting inflammation and bone loss via succinate they will be able to stop gum disease in it’s tracks.