Why Do Teeth Grinding and Strong Bite Forces Worsen Periodontal Disease? (Institute of Science Tokyo)

Explanation

Assistant Professor Yosuke Tsuchiya of the Division of Periodontology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences at Institute of Science Tokyo, and colleagues investigated at the genetic level the mechanism by which 'teeth grinding and strong bite forces (occlusal trauma)' worsen periodontal disease.

The experiment was conducted by inflicting occlusal trauma on mice that already had periodontal disease and comparing how genes were functioning in the gums, bone, and periodontal ligament respectively. The analysis used a technique called RNA sequencing, which can examine the activity of many genes all at once.

The results showed that when strong forces are applied in the presence of periodontal disease, the activity of 'genes that promote inflammation' and 'genes that promote bone destruction' becomes elevated within the bone. This is said to be the first study to comprehensively analyze at the genetic level the effects of occlusal trauma on periodontal tissue.

The periodontal ligament mentioned here is a cushion-like tissue that connects the tooth to the bone and plays the role of absorbing chewing force. What makes this research interesting is that the physical stimulus of 'force being applied' is converted into a biological change in the form of gene activity within cells.

The paper was published in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology (DOI: 10.1111/jcpe.70112).