Researchers from the University of Birmingham are developing a new probe to detect gum disease. The technology is hoped to be crucial in detecting early-stage heart or lung disease, type 2 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.

As the gateway to the body, oral health can be an indicator of overall health. Due to this, studies have previously linked periodontitis with an increased risk of heart failure for type 2 diabetics, increased risk of stroke or heart failure for cardiovascular disease patients and increased severity for rheumatoid arthritis sufferers.

The new technique was developed by Professor Tim Albrecht from the University of Birmingham’s School of Chemistry and Dr Melissa Grant from the School of Dentistry provides a quick and accurate view of the “presence and extent of gum disease from a sample of saliva that can be taken in any healthcare setting.”

Tim and Melissa’s method uses a special probe and detector which provides a “quantitative measurement of biomarkers that indicate both the presence of gum disease and its severity. The biomarker panel was identified and validated by a team of researchers at the university’s Periodontal Research Group and published earlier this year in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology.”

Professor Tim Albrecht, School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham said, “We believe the device we are prototyping will be the first dental probe that can identify periodontal disease in this way. It will detect periodontitis quickly and easily in a variety of healthcare settings, opening up opportunities for monitoring and early intervention in the patients with comorbid disease, who would benefit most from rapid treatment for periodontitis.”

Funding from EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account has been granted to the team to develop a prototype of the new device.

Dr Melissa Grant, School of Dentistry, University of Birmingham said “The ability to detect and profile disease biomarkers in real time will allow monitoring for disease severity, and in particular the transition between milder and more severe forms of gum disease. This will benefit not only dental health, but also reduce costs and capture patients for whom periodontal treatment may, in the long run, be life-saving.”

The prototype is expected to be available within a year. But the long-term goal of the team is to create a device which can be inserted into the space between gums and teeth to allow fluid from specific areas to be collected. As a result, clinicians will be able to identify the site of infection.

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