Discover new bacteria that cause dental disease

A new type of bacteria, growing stronger in human mouths, can contribute to gum disease and tooth decay, discovered by King's College London scientists, named "Prevotella histicola".

GS. William Wade (Institute of Dentistry, King's College London) has found three new types of organisms hidden inside the flesh of the mouth and the name 'histicola' to express that, meaning 'the habitat of tissues' in Latin.

According to GS. Wade, 'a healthy person's mouth is home to countless different bacteria, including viruses, fungi, protozoans and bacteria. Bacteria make up the largest number - about 100 million bacteria in each mml of saliva and more than 600 different types of bacteria in the mouth. "

Bacteria permeate in each person's teeth (Photo: BBC)

Prevotella family is associated with many types of oral diseases as well as infections in other parts of the body. GS. Wade said he succeeded in finding new types of bacteria in normal healthy tissue and bacteria that live inside oral cancer cells. 'This reaffirms that oral bacteria can invade both tissue and single cells'.

Tooth decay and gum disease are the most common bacterial diseases in humans. The finding could help scientists understand the changes in bacterial activities that lead to dental problems.

Professor Hugh Pennington, emeritus professor of microbiology at the University of Aberdeen, said it is important to continue checking for unknown bacteria especially for the types of bacteria that can be cause disease. He also affirmed that the constant evolution of bacteria showed the possibility of a constant and unstoppable replacement of new species and varieties.