Closing the door on periodontal disease

Periodontal disease (PD) affects a large segment of the population and ultimately leads to tooth and bone loss, requiring restoration with metal implants. For those who have it, this disease significantly affects their quality of life and is very costly.

PD is also linked to systemic health problems, such as cardiovascular and respiratory disease, and diabetes. Unfortunately, there still is no reliable treatment for PD.

PD starts when the epithelial seal around the tooth, which is formed by a specialized portion of the gingiva, fails. Antonio Nanci, Canada Research Chair in Calcified Tissues and Biomaterials, and Structural Imaging, has discovered new proteins that help maintain the integrity of this seal.

This discovery promises to change the framewok for PD treatment from the current one of simply managing PD, to one based on early intervention. This will lead to treatments that can prevent the breakdown of the seal, or restore it before the disease can spread, effectively closing the door on PD.

Nanci’s interfacial biology approach also holds potential for the design of implants that can improve healing and stability in dental and orthopaedic reconstructions. This is especially important for ageing patients with compromised health, bone status and healing capacity.

Nanci's work also looks at a number of critical but unresolved questions and lines of inquiry into oral health, epithelial stem cells, and tissue engineering.