A team of Japanese researchers has discovered that gums with lower rigidity, also called “soft gums”, are more likely to develop inflammation and therefore gingivitis.
- The researchers created an artificial environment simulating soft gums and hard gums.
- They found that hard gingiva activated an intracellular anti-inflammatory system in gingival fibroblasts that prevented inflammation, unlike soft gingiva.
- Soft gums would lead to inflammation and hinder the development of gum fibers.
The gum is an area of flesh that surrounds, protects our teeth, and allows them to remain stable thanks to the many gingival fibers to which they are linked. It houses, among other things, fibroblasts: cells that contribute to the formation of the connective tissue of which the gum is made.
According to a new study published in the journal Scientific Reportsa group of researchers from Tohoku University in Japan found that low gingival stiffness, i.e. “soft” gingiva, affects the likelihood of inflammation and makes gingival fibers more difficult to form.
Gingivitis: also biological causes?
“Our research is the first to demonstrate the biological mechanisms at play when it comes to a patient’s gingival properties. We have found that soft gingiva leads to inflammation and hinders the development of gingival fibers”explains Professor Masahiro Yamada of the Graduate School of Dentistry at Tohoku University in a communicated.
It has long been known that people with thick or stiff gums are less susceptible to gum recession, which is when the gum begins to recede and expose the root of a tooth. Many factors can cause this tooth loss, such as gum disease, excessive brushing of teeth and chewing tobacco; but this is the first time that gingival stiffness has been attributed to biological reactions.
Inflammation of the gums: the role of fibroblasts
Although fibroblasts play an important role in the maintenance, repair and healing of the gum tissue, they also produce various inflammatory molecules that degrade the gum fibers. Furthermore, fibroblasts are associated with immune responses in reaction to pathogens.
Professor Yamada, helped by his colleague Professor Hiroshi Egusa, created an artificial environment simulating a soft gingiva and a hard gingiva to cultivate human gingival fibroblasts. They found that hard gingiva activated an intracellular anti-inflammatory system in gingival fibroblasts that prevented inflammation. Soft gingiva, on the other hand, did not activate this fibroblast anti-inflammatory system, which increased the likelihood of inflammation and resulted in less collagen synthesis.
“The results should accelerate the development of advanced biomaterials to control local inflammation or microdevices that simulate the environment of inflammatory conditions”concludes Professor Yamada.