A new injectable, controlled-release capsule has been designed by US scientists to fight gum disease. Targeting inflammation rather than the bacteria that start the disease, the capsule releases a protein which helps the body fight the disease and allows healthy tissue to grow in its place.

Injected into pockets between the gums and teeth, this approach uses the excreted protein to guide specialised white blood cells to the specific infected site. The white blood cells, lymphocytes, help to restore immune balance and maintain homeostasis.

The research, presented by Steven Little from the University of Pittsburgh at the 244th National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia in August, showed that positive results had been achieved in mice. Symptoms of disease had significantly diminished and conditions favourable for the regrowth of gum tissue had developed. The dissolvable polymer material forming the capsule is used in medicine and the protein, a chemokine, is already naturally produced by the body, indicating the treatment would be successful in humans.

With 83% of the UK population affected by gum disease,1 the capsule could have a great impact on oral health.