New at-home test for gingivitis protects oral health

University of Cincinnati engineers have developed a test that uses saliva to warn consumers about periodontal disease, which if left untreated can lead to tooth loss, stroke, heart disease and other illnesses.
Credit: Andrew Steckl and Daewoo Han

Engineers create home test that uses saliva to detect periodontal disease.

Engineers at the University of Cincinnati have developed a new device that can warn consumers about early risks of tooth decay from diseases such as gingivitis and periodontitis.

Gingivitis, the earliest form of gum disease, is caused by bacteria. But not just any bacteria.

The problem for researchers was getting a device to single out the particular type responsible for the disease, said Andrew Steckl, an Ohio Eminent Scholar and distinguished research professor in UC’s College of Engineering and Applied Science.

“It’s been quite the challenge to get to the point where we can detect this toxin created by the bacteria responsible for gingivitis,” he said.

Steckl and UC Senior Research Associate Daewoo Han collaborated with Sancai Xie, a principal scientist at Procter & Gamble Co., and described their results in a paper published in the Royal Society of Chemistry journal Sensors and Diagnostics.

Steckl’s research team has been exploring biosensing for various applications. They studied stress hormones in sweat in collaboration with the Air Force Research Lab at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Now they are studying saliva.

“There are good reasons to use saliva,” he said. “It’s relatively plentiful and easy to obtain through noninvasive methods. And saliva has a lot of important elements that can act as indicators of your health.”

Bacteria from gingivitis can travel through the bloodstream, leading to cardiovascular disease and other serious health problems, Steckl said.

But saliva is a complicated biofluid, said Han, the study’s lead author.

Researchers pretreated the sample using potato starch to remove a protein called amylase that could interfere with the test results. Their test uses antibodies that react to the endotoxins found in the bacteria.

“Daewoo worked very hard on many dead-ends before he had success,” Steckl said. “I tell my students that research is search, search and re-search until you find the answer.”

At-home health testing has been available for generations in niche uses such as detecting pregnancy. But the COVID-19 pandemic introduced a wide audience of consumers to the concept of monitoring their health with new technology.

The at-home testing industry is expected to generate $45 billion annually by 2031, according to Allied Market Research.

Steckl said he sees a lot of opportunity for new consumer products.

“Our results definitely show promise,” Steckl said. “Sometimes it comes easy. Most of the time you have to persevere.”

Journal: Sensors & Diagnostics
DOI: 10.1039/D3SD00158J
Method of Research: Experimental study
Subject of Research: Not applicable
Article Title: Salivary endotoxin detection using antibody-based sandwich-type lateral flow immunoassay device
Article Publication Date: 18-Aug-2023
COI Statement: No competing interests

Media Contact

Michael Miller
University of Cincinnati
michael.miller3@uc.edu
Office: 513-556-6757

Media Contact

Michael Miller
University of Cincinnati

All latest news from the category: Life Sciences and Chemistry

Articles and reports from the Life Sciences and chemistry area deal with applied and basic research into modern biology, chemistry and human medicine.

Valuable information can be found on a range of life sciences fields including bacteriology, biochemistry, bionics, bioinformatics, biophysics, biotechnology, genetics, geobotany, human biology, marine biology, microbiology, molecular biology, cellular biology, zoology, bioinorganic chemistry, microchemistry and environmental chemistry.

Back to home

Comments (0)

Write a comment

Newest articles

Porous Crystals Detect Nitric Oxide

Porous Crystals Detect Nitric Oxide

Ultrasensitive detection of nitric oxide (NO) using a conductive 2D metal-organic framework. In an era where environmental monitoring and medical diagnostics are increasingly crucial, the ability to detect specific gases…

Accelerating 5G & 6G Applications

Fraunhofer HHI and Partners Launch First Open-Source 5G FR2 MIMO Demonstrator. Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz-Institut (HHI) and its partners, Allbesmart, National Instruments (NI), and TMYTEK, have unveiled the world’s first open-source 5G…

High Efficiency Meets Sustainability

Fraunhofer Lighthouse Project Shows Way for Next-Generation Tandem Solar Cells. The development of perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells made of stable materials and manufactured using scalable production processes is the basis…