Drug currently used to treat intestinal worms could protect against periodontitis, according to recent study

According to recent research published ahead of print in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, the drug Oxantel currently used to treat intestinal worms could protect individuals from periodontitis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says periodontal disease, a destructive disease which if left untreated can erode bone structures that hold the teeth into the jaw affects half of American adults.

The abstract states that Oxantel disrupted the development of polymicrobial biofilms composed of P. gingivalis, T. forsythia, and T. denticola in a concentration-dependent manner. In these biofilms all three species were inhibited to a similar degree, demonstrating the synergistic nature of biofilm formation by these species and the dependence of T. denticola on the other two species. In a murine alveolar bone loss model of periodontitis, Oxantel addition to the drinking water of P. gingivalis-infected mice reduced bone loss to the same level as the uninfected control.

Read more from the article in ScienceDaily.

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