London: Gum diseases become more common in old age. A new research revealed that this is mostly due to the loss of a protein called Del-1.
A gum disease Periodontitis, which causes bleeding and bone loss and leads to loss of teeth, would be the result of the protein loss.
Researchers from Queen Mary University of London suggested that Del-1 understanding and its consequences on immune system of the body could improve treatment or prevention of serious gum diseases, the journal Nature Immunology reported.
Study head Prof. Mike Curtis said: “Periodontitis is an extremely common problem and we know that the disease tends to be more common as we get older.”
“This research sheds light on why ageing makes us more susceptible, and understanding this mechanism is the first step to an effective treatment,” he said.
The research investigated gum disease in young and old mice and found that an increase in gum disease in the older animals was accompanied by a drop in the level of Del-1. This protein is known to restrain the immune system by stopping white blood cells from sticking to and attacking mouth tissue.
Mice that had no Del-1 developed severe gum disease and elevated bone loss and researchers found unusually high levels of white blood cells in the gum tissue. When they treated the gums of the mice with Del-1, the number of white blood cells dropped, and gum disease and bone loss were reduced.
