newsline Evidence Points to Oral Microbiota’s Role in Regulating Hypertension A study published in Hypertension, “Report of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Working Group on the Role of Micobiota in Blood Pressure Regulation,” examines the effects of oral microbial communities and nitric oxide (NO) on systemic health. Experts on the National Institutes of Health working group focused on NO’s implications for hypertension. The results suggest that achieving an optimum balance of “good” and “bad” oral microbiota is significant for preventing chronic disease, including periodontitis, chronic inflammation and hypertension. A meta-analysis found increasing the dietary intake of nitrate-rich food to be an effective means for reducing blood pressure — provided the subjects have the right nitrate-reducing oral bacteria. Using antiseptic mouthrinse eliminates the blood pressure-lowering effects of dietary nitrate, as daily use of these rinses kills the microbes involved in producing NO. According to the working group, an estimated 200 million Americans regularly use mouthrinses that eradicate NO-producing bacteria, leading to a state of NO deficiency. The report suggests investigators focus on bacterial approaches to blood pressure regulation and new therapeutic strategies to restore NO production in the oral cavity. Chewing Gum Used To Help Diagnose Peri-Implant Disease A pharmaceutical research team at the Julius-Maximilians- Universität Würzburg in Bavaria, Germany, has designed a chewing gum-based test for assessing inflammation in the oral cavity. The paper, “Diagnosing Peri-Implant Disease Using the Tongue as a 24/7 Detector,” featured in Nature Communications, explains sensory chew- ing gums target the tongue, allowing diagnosis by “anyone, anywhere, anytime.” In the presence of inflammatory conditions, specific protein-degrading enzymes are activated; these enzymes break down an ingredient in the chewing gum, releasing a bittering agent. Patients then visit the dentist, who confirms the diagnosis and provides treatment. It’s believed that early detection may lead to more effective interventions for peri-implant disease. The team tested the sensor by incubating it in saliva from healthy controls (asymptomatic sub- jects with at least one dental implant) and subjects with peri-implant disease. The samples were compared using a chairside test measuring matrix metalloproteinase (specifically, MMP-8) activity from sulcular fluid sampled from the gingival pocket, and a protease activity test that measures salivary properties. Investigators report the sensor rivaled a chairside test in terms of discriminative potential among healthy and diseased subjects. It also offers the advantages of using saliva (rather than sulcular fluid) to detect inflammation, plus a rapid read-out (results are available in 10 min- utes). In addition, the sensor performed better than the commercially available test measuring protease activity from saliva. Based on these results, human trials are planned. DecisionsInDentistry.com Researchers Develop Salivary Diagnostics For Identifying Zika A study in the Journal of Dental Research, “Postnatal Identification of Zika Virus Peptides From Saliva,” suggests there may be a quick and cost-effective salivary test for Zika. Researchers contend that examining proteins and peptides in saliva can accurately detect exposure. The team analyzed the saliva of a pregnant mother infected with Zika and her twins — one born with microcephaly and one without — and pinpointed the specific protein signature for Zika that’s present in saliva. This finding opens the door to poten- tially using the signature protein as an effec- tive way to screen for Zika exposure. Additionally, the research offers new insight into how the virus passes from mother to child, as the findings suggest vertical trans- mission. The study found mutations in the amino acid sequence of the peptides that were distinct for each twin, suggesting these mutations may play a role in whether a baby will develop microcephaly. At present, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention uses blood tests to look for changes in ribonucleic acid to diag- nose Zika, but this method is only able to detect the virus up to 5 to 7 days after expo- sure. The new saliva-based method increases the window of detection to nine months postinfection. December 2017 • Decisions IN DENTISTRY 9 MIZINA/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS; AUNT_SPRAY/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS; DEVONYU/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS
