When your body comes into contact with an invading agent (such as viruses, bacteria, or harmful substances) or sustains an injury, it activates your immune system.
As a first-line of defense, your immune system deploys inflammatory cells and cytokines, which are molecules that stimulate the production of more inflammatory cells.
These inflammatory cells initiate an inflammatory response to either contain the bacteria and other harmful agents or begin the healing process of the injured tissue. This response can cause visible symptoms such as pain, swelling, bruising, or redness, but it can also impact other body systems that are not visible to the naked eye.
Chronic inflammation can arise due to various reasons, including autoimmune disorders such as lupus, where the body mistakenly attacks its healthy tissues. Exposure to harmful toxins like pollution or industrial chemicals can also cause chronic inflammation. Additionally, untreated acute inflammation resulting from infections or injuries can develop into a chronic state.
Certain lifestyle factors can also contribute to chronic inflammation.
For example, excessive alcohol consumption, having a high body mass index (BMI) in the obese range (unless it is due to significant muscle mass), exercising too intensely too often or insufficiently, experiencing chronic stress, and smoking can increase the likelihood of developing chronic inflammation.
According to a study recently published in the journal Scientific Reports, soft gums are more at risk of inflammation.
The area of tissue surrounding our teeth is referred to as the gingiva, and it is held in place by numerous gingival fibers that connect the tooth to the gums. The gingiva contains fibroblasts, which play a significant role in the formation of connective tissue.
Recently, researchers from Tohoku University have found that the stiffness of the gingiva affects the properties of gingival fibroblasts, which, in turn, can impact the development of inflammation and hinder the formation of gingival fibers.
Associate Professor Masahiro Yamada from Tohoku University’s Graduate School of Dentistry explains that their research findings indicate that “soft gingiva results in inflammation and hinders the development of gingival fibers.”
It has been known for a long time that people whose gingiva are thick or stiff are less likely to have recessions. This is the first sign of gum recession, which may lead to root exposure.
Gingival recession may be caused by a variety of conditions, including gum disease, excessive brushing, and tobacco use. This, however, is the first time that biological processes have been shown to cause gingival stiffness.
While fibroblasts are crucial for preserving, repairing, and restoring the gingiva, they also generate a range of biomolecules that can cause inflammation and degradation of the gingival fibers. Furthermore, fibroblasts are linked to the immune response to pathogens.
Yamada and Professor Hiroshi Egusa, both from the Graduate School of Dentistry at Tohoku University, made an artificial environment that looked like soft or hard gingiva and grew human gingival fibroblasts on it.
Researchers found that a stiffness similar to that of hard gingiva triggered an intracellular anti-inflammatory mechanism in the gingival fibroblasts, therefore preventing inflammation.
But simulating stiffness with soft gingiva turned off the fibroblastic anti-inflammatory system. This raised the chance of inflammation and decreased the production of collagen.
This study “is the first to demonstrate the biological mechanisms at play in regards to a patient’s gingival properties,” according to Yamada.
The findings “are expected to accelerate the development of advanced biomaterials to control local inflammation or microdevices that simulate the microenvironment of inflammatory conditions.”
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