Study Shows Nearly ? Of Human Genome Is Involved In Gingivitis
Study Shows Nearly 1 3 Of Human Genome Is Involved In GingivitisResearch published in the December 2009 Journal of Periodontology shows that more than 9,000 genes—nearly 30 percent of the genes found in the human body—are expressed differently during the
Study Shows Nearly 1/3 Of Human Genome Is Involved In Gingivitis
Research published in the December 2009 Journal of Periodontology shows that more than 9,000 genes—nearly 30 percent of the genes found in the human body—are expressed differently during the onset and healing process associated with gingivitis
Data from the report suggest development and reversal of gingivitis at the molecular level is apparently much more complicated than its causes might indicate.
The study, conducted jointly by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an oral health care product manufacturer, is the first to successfully identify gene expression and biological pathways involved with the onset and healing process of gingivitis.
A trail of evidence: plaque overgrowth
Biological pathways associated with activation of the immune system were found to be the major pathways being activated and critical to controlling the body’s reaction to plaque build-up on the teeth. Additionally, other gene expression pathways activated during plaque overgrowth include those involved in wound healing, neural processes and skin turnover.
Gingivitis has been the target of some studies for its possible relation to heart disease, diabetes and pre-term birth. Researchers say understanding how gingivitis develops and resolves on a molecular level can possibly provide critical insights into gum disease prevention, as well as new treatments.
Clues to overall health
“The study’s findings demonstrate that clinical symptoms of gingivitis reflect complicated changes in cellular and molecular processes within the body,” said Steven Offenbacher, DDS, PhD, the study’s lead author and director of the UNC School of Dentistry-based Center for Oral and Systemic Diseases.
“Understanding the thousands of individual genes and multiple systems involved in gingivitis will help explain exactly what is occurring in a person’s body at the onset of the disease and how it relates to their overall health,” Offenbacher says.
Researchers believe learning about how the body interacts with bacterial overgrowth during gingivitis could provide insight into a variety of bio-film-associated diseases such as urinary tract infections, ear infections and chronic sinusitis.
About the Study
The objective of this study was to understand gingivitis on a molecular level by identifying changes in gene expression taking place in the mouth during gingivitis onset and the healing process. Fourteen healthy individuals with mild gingivitis participated in the study. After baseline, prophylaxes gingivitis was induced in each study participant, followed by the participants adhering to an oral hygiene regimen of twice-daily brushing and regular flossing. Gum tissue was collected at baseline, four weeks after the induction of gingivitis and one week after resuming the oral hygiene regimen of brushing and flossing.
Gene expression data were analyzed using gene chip technology that enabled the investigators to detect changes in the expression of more than 30,000 genes. By applying advanced genomics bioinformatics tools, the investigators were able to identify the biological pathways and gene expression patterns associated with gingivitis.
As part of the study findings, researchers identified several biological pathways triggered by the onset and healing of gingivitis, including those associated with immune response, energy metabolism, neural processes, vasculature, chemotaxis, wound healing and steroid metabolism.
Source: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
