A vaccine against dental caries.

A vaccine against dental caries.



Ah, teeth and bad teeth, who does not suffer, "which was not afraid to go to the dentist?

In the future, this suffering and fear will no longer take place ...., Thanks to researchers at the Portuguese Institute of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Porto, they have succeeded in developing a vaccine against cavities Dental, the latter was successfully tested on lab rats.

It is not good news, especially for children.

researchers at the Portuguese Institute of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Porto believe they have succeeded in developing a vaccine against tooth decay, one of the most common health in the world. The vaccine has been tested successfully on lab rats.

Dental caries is one of the most infectious diseases prevalent in humans and are among the most costly diseases in the world because of the prevalence. The group of oral bacteria Streptococcus mutans is the major causative agent of human dental caries. In this group, Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus are the species most commonly isolated in humans. Streptococcus sobrinus produces a protein responsible for immunomodulatrice virulence (VIP), which suppresses the immune response specific to the host against microbes.

The researchers hypothesized that the immunization VIP could induce specific protection against the microbe responsible, and have tested on rats infected with Streptococcus sobrinus. The model of caries in rats has been widely used to determine the protective immune to this disease because it is developing very similar to human beings.

All the rats involved in the research conducted at Porto have been subjected to a Diet, Cariogenic and received drinking water mixed with sugar. They were then orally infected with S. sobrinus. Some animals have been immunized repeatedly by intranasal administration of the vaccine. After the experience, the extent of carious lesions of enamel first, second and third molars of all rats (the rate of decay) was evaluated microscopically and the levels of infection with S. sobrinus were measured.

The group has immunized, compared with the control group, a rate of carious lesions of enamel below 50%. The researchers also assessed the colonization of S. sobrinus in the oral cavity of rats. Result: VIP immunized groups have a net reduction in the levels of S. sobrinus, while non-immune group retained high levels of bacteria throughout the study.

The potential benefits are considerable: the painful and expensive fillings could soon be a thing of the past. The benefits would be enormous for those who have no access to dental care, including many poor people in rich countries and the majority of people in developing countries.

The discovery was patented in Portugal, and researchers have applied for a patent. The next step of research will be the development, also on rodents, a preventive vaccine. For now, the results have been obtained through a therapeutic vaccine. The ultimate goal of scientists is to intervene effectively to pre-immunization, ie before infection develops.

The Portuguese team is now looking for funding that will enable it to conduct tests on primates, and subsequently on human beings. The human vaccine could be marketed early next decade. Future