For ages, the public has viewed poor oral health as an isolated issue, with gum disease, tooth loss, and bad breath being an inconvenience and more of an aesthetic problem. However, recent studies have shown the wide-reaching negative effects of poor oral conditions, including implications on a person’s wider systemic health.
Gum disease often manifests through swollen, red, and bleeding gums, later progressing into teeth becoming loose or falling out. Research has also found that gum disease is linked to a host of other chronic and systemic disorders, such as cardiovascular diseases (stroke and heart attack), diabetes and insulin resistance, Alzheimer’s disease, bacterial pneumonia, oral and colorectal cancers, premature birth, and erectile dysfunction.
According to microbiologist, immunologist, and rheumatology fellow Dr Emily Stein, this compartmentalization of oral health away from the rest of the body has been incredibly harmful to people’s health. In tests on animals, it has been shown that being exposed to bacteria that cause gum disease resulted in various systemic diseases.
Stein says that the mouth is one of the most microbe-rich areas of the body, as it possesses all the perfect conditions for growth – warmth, moisture, and an abundant nutrient supply from the food particles stuck to oral surfaces. An imbalance in the oral microbiome can result in various negative impacts on oral health, including inflamed gums, also known as gum disease. However, it doesn’t end there, as that inflammation can spread to other parts of the body, affecting almost every other system. One such bacterium, Porphyromonas gingivalis, is significantly linked to atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease.
“Microbes don't just stay in the mouth. Every time we swallow, it includes millions of microbes that have an influence downstream, gaining access to other tissues,” Stein says. “Bacteria can also gain entry into our bloodstream through oral wounds caused by dental procedures such as tooth extraction. If our oral microbiome is healthy and balanced, there’s nothing to worry about. However, according to the CDC, over 47% of adults above age 30 have some form of gum disease. Knowing how many systemic diseases are linked to poor oral health is extremely worrying. Studies have shown that the top three risks are first cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack or stroke; second, metabolic disorders such as diabetes; and third, pre-term birth for females.”
In 2017, Dr Stein founded Primal Health, a molecular biotechnology company that specializes in consumable dental hygiene products for humans and animals. These products help create a healthy and balanced oral microbiome and reduce the risk of infections in the gum and possibly elsewhere in the body.
Parent company, Primal Therapies developed its Selective Microbial Metabolism Regulation Technology (SMMRT)®, which helps combat and rehabilitate dysbiosis, or a microorganism imbalance in the microbiome. Its brands, Daily Dental Care for humans and Teef for Life for pets use SMMRT to re-engineer disease-causing bacterial biofilms in the mouth into ones that are health-promoting. Microbes that consume sugar create byproducts that are detrimental to teeth and gum health. SMMRT favors the growth of beneficial microbes in the mouth while inhibiting harmful ones. By influencing microbes to consume protein rather than sugars or carbohydrates, the mouth becomes healthier, Stein says. By promoting a healthier oral microbiome, SMMRT reduces the risk of gum disease and other infections that can have a severe negative impact on the quality of life for both humans and pets.
“It’s frequently said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” Stein says. “This has never been more true, especially with mouth health. Science has found that there are so many other diseases and disorders stemming from oral infections, so keeping our mouths healthy through a balanced microbiome is extremely valuable, with benefits that can be felt for the rest of our lives.”
Stein's mission to improve lives doesn’t stop at the mouth, Primal Therapies’ next innovation is to apply SMMRT to address unmet needs in women's health, wound care, and gut health around the world.
Media contact:
Name: Angelic Brown
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