How Do Probiotics Improve Gum Disease?
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Introduction
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Gum disease, also known as periodontal disease, is the inflammation and decay of the gum tissue surrounding your teeth. Over time this can cause infection, halitosis and even the loss of teeth. According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, around 80 percent of the United States population has some amount of gum disease. This has put pressure on the dental science world to find viable treatment options. One experimental treatment has been probiotics.
What are Probiotics?
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Probiotics are good bacteria that mimic the same duties of the naturally occurring good bacteria in the body. These can be introduced through food sources such as yogurt, or in supplement form.
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Their Oral Effects
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New research is slowly coming out about specifically designed probiotics for the mouth. The Department of Microbiology at the University of Otago in New Zealand has been on the forefront of this study. Here, scientists have started to pin down specific helpful bacteria that can be ingested to fight gum disease. Once the probiotic bacteria have entered the mouth they begin to produce antibacterial protein chains, otherwise known as bacteriocin. These protein change discourage the growth of other bacteria in your mouth. Specifically they inhibit actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and porphyromonas gingivalis, the two most common bacterial causes for gum disease.
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Resources
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