A binding agent used by meat and poultry packers may be
contributing to gingivitis, a gum disease.
Scientists
at Forsyth, an independent, not-for-profit research institute specializing
in oral health and related-conditions, along with a colleague from Northwestern
University, say that Transgultaminase 2 (TG2), is a key component in the
process of gum disease.
Meat and
poultry processors have been using it for more than 10 years as a binder to
stick small pieces together.
The
research found that TG2 helps Porphyromonas gingivalis stick to cells, but when
they “silenced” TG2, Porphyromonas gingivalis was diminished.
“Once
established, Porphyromonas gingivalis is very hard to get rid of,” Dr. Heike
Boisvert, assistant member of the staff in the Department of Microbiology at
Forsyth, said in a news release.
“The
bacterium changes conditions in the surrounding environment to ensure perfect
growth; unfortunately, those changes, if untreated, can result in a loss of
supportive tissue for our teeth.”
