Adults with periodontitis transmit bacteria that can cause the disease in future to their children, and the bacteria remain in the oral cavity even when the children undergo treatment of various kinds, reinforcing the need for preventive care in the first year of a baby’s life. This is the main conclusion of a study published in Scientific Reports.
Periodontitis is an inflammation of the periodontium, the tissue that supports the teeth and maintains them in the maxillary and mandibular bones. The disease is triggered by bacterial infection. Symptoms include bleeding of the gums and halitosis. In severe cases, it leads to bone and tooth loss. If the bacteria or other microorganisms that cause the disease enter the bloodstream, they may trigger other kinds of inflammation in the body. Treatment includes cleaning of the pockets around teeth by a dentist or hygienist and administration of anti-inflammatory drugs or antibiotics.
“The parents’ oral microbiome is a determinant of the subgingival microbial colonization of their children,” the article’s authors state in their conclusions, adding that “dysbiotic microbiota acquired by children of periodontitis patients at an early age are resilient to shift and the community structure is maintained even after controlling the hygiene status”..
“If the findings are applied to day-to-day dental practice, the study can be said to help design more direct approaches. Knowing that periodontal disease may affect the patient’s family is an incentive to use preventive treatment, seek early diagnosis and mitigate complications,” said the first author.
“This pioneering study compares parents with and without periodontitis. In children of the former, we found subgingival bacterial colonization at a very early age. However, ‘inheriting’ the problem doesn’t mean a child is fated to develop the disease in adulthood. Hence the importance of keeping an eye open for the smallest signs and seeking specialized help,” the senior author said.
In the study, samples of subgingival biofilm and plaque were collected from 18 adults with a history of generalized aggressive (grade C) periodontitis, their children aged 6-12, and 18 orally healthy adults. In addition to a clinical analysis, the samples were also subjected to a microbiological analysis and genetic sequencing.
“Children of periodontitis parents were preferentially colonized by Filifactor alocis, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Streptococcus parasanguinis, Fusobacterium nucleatum and several species belonging to the genus Selenomonas even in the absence of periodontitis,” the article states. “These pathogens also emerged as robust discriminators of the microbial signatures of children of parents with periodontitis.”
The senior author said that despite bacterial plaque control and vigorous brushing the children of people with the disease still had the bacteria in their mouths, whereas the effects of dental hygiene and prophylaxis were more significant in the children of healthy subjects.
“Because the parents had periodontitis, their children assumed this community with disease characteristics. They carried the bacterial information into their adult lives,” the author said, adding that the analysis of bacterial colonization pointed to a greater likelihood of transmission by the mother. The research group will now work with pregnant women in an effort to “break the cycle” by preventing bacterial colonization of their children’s mouths.
“We’ll treat the mothers during pregnancy, before the babies are born, and try to find out if it’s possible to prevent bacterial colonization from occurring,” the senior author said, noting that studies with patients will proceed only when control of the pandemic permits.
https://agencia.fapesp.br/bacteria-that-cause-periodontitis-are-transmitted-from-parents-to-children/35622/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-80372-4
http://sciencemission.com/site/index.php?page=news&type=view&id=publications%2Fparents-with&filter=22
Bacteria that cause periodontitis are transmitted from parents to children
- 1,207 views
- Added
Edited
Latest News
Which of the two DNA strand…
By newseditor
Posted 16 Jun
Microglia depletion prevent…
By newseditor
Posted 16 Jun
Colorectal cancer stem cell…
By newseditor
Posted 16 Jun
Paranoia in the brain
By newseditor
Posted 16 Jun
In-vitro 3D culture of func…
By newseditor
Posted 15 Jun
Other Top Stories
Stem cell-derived, natural killer cells against glioblastoma
Read more
Intron detention regulates stemness/differentiation switch in brain…
Read more
Uncovering the secret of long-lived stem cells
Read more
How the human embryo forms
Read more
Hyperactive platelets from hematopoietic stem cells during aging ma…
Read more
Protocols
Bioengineered human colon o…
By newseditor
Posted 14 Jun
Development of an efficient…
By newseditor
Posted 12 Jun
A co-culture system of macr…
By newseditor
Posted 10 Jun
Analysis of 3D pathology sa…
By newseditor
Posted 08 Jun
Long-term expandable mouse…
By newseditor
Posted 07 Jun
Publications
Lost in translation: challe…
By newseditor
Posted 17 Jun
Pathways for macrophage upt…
By newseditor
Posted 16 Jun
Common and distinct neural…
By newseditor
Posted 16 Jun
Strand-resolved mutagenicit…
By newseditor
Posted 16 Jun
Innate-like T cells in live…
By newseditor
Posted 16 Jun
Presentations
Myelin plasticity in the ve…
By newseditor
Posted 10 Jun
Hydrogels in Drug Delivery
By newseditor
Posted 12 Apr
Lipids
By newseditor
Posted 31 Dec
Cell biology of carbohydrat…
By newseditor
Posted 29 Nov
RNA interference (RNAi)
By newseditor
Posted 23 Oct
Posters
A chemical biology/modular…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Aug
Single-molecule covalent ma…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jul
ASCO-2020-HEALTH SERVICES R…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-HEAD AND NECK CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar