How Bacteria Species Selenomonas Sputigena Contribute to Dental Caries
Dental caries is a chronic disease that affects both children and adults worldwide. For most people, oral hygiene such as brushing and flossing your teeth can prevent tooth decay. However, the lack of proper dental care can lead to the build-up of harmful bacteria that can create cavities in teeth. For years, scientists believed that Streptococcus mutans was the primary culprit for tooth decay. However, collaborative research has discovered that another bacterial species called Selenomonas sputigena (S. sputigena) may also play a vital role in dental caries.
The Study
Collaborative researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and the Adams School of Dentistry and the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health conducted a study to understand the role of S. sputigena in dental caries. The team analyzed plaque samples from 300 children between three and five years old and tested them using advanced methods such as bacterial gene sequencing, analysis of biological pathways involved in bacterial activity, and microscopic imaging. The study found that S. sputigena associates with S. mutans to increase the cavity formation process, causing severe tooth decay.
S. Sputigena and Tooth Decay
When a combination of bacteria is not sufficiently removed by brushing and other oral methods, it ends up forming a protective biofilm, or “plaque,” on the teeth. Inside plaque, bacteria consume sugar, turning them into acids, and erode the enamel of affected teeth. In previous studies, scientists have identified various species of bacteria in plaque. However, this study is the first to identify S. sputigena’s role in causing dental caries. While S. sputigena cannot cause cavities on its own, it can associate with S. mutans, increasing its ability to form cavities.
The Mechanism of S. Sputigena on Tooth Decay
S. mutans uses available sugar to build sticky constructions called glucans that are part of the plaque’s protective environment. S. sputigena has small appendages that allow it to move across surfaces and can become trapped by these glycans. Once caught, S. sputigena proliferates rapidly, using its cells to create honeycomb-like “superstructures” that encapsulate and protect S. mutans. The researchers using animal models discovered that the result of this unexpected association is a higher and concentrated production of acid, which significantly worsens the severity of caries.
Disrupting S. Sputigena
One approach to prevent cavities suggested by co-author and co-director of the Center for Innovation and Precision Dentistry at Penn Dental Medicine, Hyun. (Michel) Koo DDS, PhD, is to disrupt these S. sputigena superstructures using specific enzymes or more precise and effective methods of toothbrushing. The researchers plan to further study how S. sputigena ends up in the aerobic environment of the tooth surface and the phenomenon of a bacterium from one type of environment moving into a new environment and interacting with the bacteria that live there, building these remarkable superstructures.
Summary
Collaborative researchers from two universities conducted a study on the role of S. sputigena in dental caries. The study analyzed plaque samples from 300 children between three and five years old and found that S. sputigena associates with S. mutans to increase cavity formation, causing severe tooth decay. S. Sputigena has small appendages that allow it to move across surfaces and become trapped by S. mutans’ glucans. Once caught, S. sputigena proliferates rapidly, using its cells to create honeycomb-like “superstructures” that encapsulate and protect S. mutans, increasing their ability to form cavities. To disrupt these superstructures, co-author Hyun. (Michel) Koo DDS, PhD, suggested using specific enzymes or more precise and effective methods of toothbrushing. The researchers plan to study how S. sputigena ends up in the aerobic environment of the tooth surface.
Additional Piece
It is no secret that poor dental hygiene is the leading cause of tooth decay and cavities. Despite dental care improvements and research discoveries on bacteria that cause tooth decay, people worldwide still suffer from dental caries. According to the World Health Organization, 60-90% of school children have cavities, making it the most common oral disease globally. Therefore, new research on S. sputigena’s role in causing cavities has opened new avenues for dental care providers to improve dental health.
Odontogenic infections can lead to serious medical conditions that can be fatal if left untreated. It is essential to understand how cavities form and the role each bacteria species plays in the process to develop more effective preventive measures. S. sputigena’s discovery’s contribution to tooth decay reinforces the need for proper oral hygiene practices beyond brushing teeth. It stresses the significance of professional dental cleaning combined with daily brushing and flossing of teeth to maintain healthy teeth and gums.
Dental healthcare providers have the responsibility to educate and empower patients on proper oral hygiene practices and disseminate information on dental care advances. Dental care providers can advise their patients on specific enzymes as a preventive measure against S. sputigena superstructures. Regular dental check-ups allow dentists to identify potential oral health issues and address them on time.
In conclusion, the discovery of S. sputigena’s role in tooth decay has further highlighted the need to maintain proper oral hygiene practices to prevent cavities effectively. Dental care professionals can also play a role in educating the public and disseminating information on preventive measures and advances in dental care. Dental health is essential for overall well-being, and proper dental care practices help maintain it.
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Philadelphia — Collaborating researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and Adams School of Dentistry and the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health have discovered that a bacterial species called Selenomonas sputigena may play an important role in causing dental caries.
Scientists have long considered another bacterial species, the plaque-forming, acid-producing one. Streptococcus mutans, as the main cause of tooth decay, also known as tooth decay. However, in the study, which appeared May 22 in nature communicationsresearchers from Penn Dental Medicine and UNC demonstrated that S. sputigena, previously associated only with gum disease, it can function as a key partner of S. mutansgreatly improving its cavity creation power.
“This was an unexpected finding that provides us with new insights into caries development, highlights potential future targets for caries prevention, and reveals novel mechanisms of bacterial biofilm formation that may be relevant in other clinical settings,” said co-author Principal of the studio, Hyun. (Michel) Koo DDS, PhD, Professor in the Department of Orthodontics and Divisions of Pediatrics and Community Oral Health and Co-Director of the Center for Innovation and Precision Dentistry at Penn Dental Medicine.
The other two co-senior authors of the study were Kimon Divaris, PhD, DDS, a professor at the UNC Adams School of Dentistry, and Di Wu, PhD, an associate professor at the Adams School and the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. .
“This was a perfect example of collaborative science that could not have been done without the complementary expertise of many groups and individual researchers and learners,” Divaris said.
Tooth decay is considered the most common chronic disease in children and adults in the US and around the world. arises when S. mutans and other acid-producing bacteria are not sufficiently removed by toothbrushing and other oral care methods, and end up forming a protective biofilm, or “plaque,” on the teeth. Inside the plaque, these bacteria consume sugars from drinks or food, turning them into acids. If plaque is left in place for too long, these acids begin to erode the enamel of affected teeth, creating cavities over time.
Scientists in previous studies of the bacterial contents of plaque have identified a variety of other species in addition to S. mutans. These include species of selenomonas, a group of “anaerobic” bacteria, which do not require oxygen and are most commonly found under the gum in cases of gum disease. But the new study is the first to identify a caries-causing role for a selenomonas species.
The UNC researchers took plaque samples from the teeth of 300 children ages 3 to 5, half of whom had cavities, and, with key assistance from Koo’s lab, analyzed the samples using a variety of advanced tests. The tests included sequencing of bacterial gene activity in the samples, analysis of the biological pathways involved by this bacterial activity, and even direct microscopic imaging. The researchers then validated their findings on an additional set of 116 plaque samples from children ages 3 to 5 years.
The data showed that although S. sputigena is just one of several bacterial species associated with plaque caries, in addition to S. mutansand does not cause cavities on its own, it has an amazing ability to associate with S. mutans to speed up the decay process.
S. mutans it is known to use available sugar to build sticky constructions called glucans that are part of the plaque’s protective environment. The researchers observed that S. sputigena, Possessing small appendages that allow it to move across surfaces, it can become trapped by these glycans. Once caught, S. sputigena proliferates rapidly, using its own cells to make honeycomb-like “superstructures” that encapsulate and protect S. mutans. The result of this unexpected association, as the researchers demonstrated using animal models, is a much higher and concentrated production of acid, which significantly worsens the severity of caries.
The findings, Koo said, show a more complex microbial interaction than previously thought to occur, and provide a better understanding of how childhood cavities develop, an understanding that could lead to better ways to prevent cavities.
“Disrupt these protections S. sputigena superstructures using specific enzymes or more precise and effective methods of toothbrushing could be one approach,” Koo said.
The researchers now plan to study in more detail how this mobile anaerobic bacterium ends up in the aerobic environment of the tooth surface.
“This phenomenon in which a bacterium from one type of environment moves into a new environment and interacts with the bacteria that live there, building these remarkable superstructures, should be of great interest to microbiologists,” Koo said.
“Selenomonas sputigena acts as a pathobiont mediating biofilm spatial structure and virulence in early childhood caries” was co-authored by Hunyong Cho, Zhi Ren, Kimon Divaris, Jeffrey Roach, Bridget Lin, Chuwen Liu, M. Andrea Azcarate-Peril, Miguel Simancas-Pallares, Poojan Shrestha, Alena Orlenko, Jeannie Ginnis, Kari North, Andrea Ferreira Zandona, Apoena Aguiar Ribeiro, Di Wu, and Hyun “Michel” Koo.
The work was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (U01DE025046, R01DE025220, R03DE028983).
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230608120924.htm
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