Illuminating impact of smoking on oral health

Researchers have performed a spatial analysis that may provide insights into the mechanisms through which smoking affects the gingival tissue microenvironment.

In a study published in the International Journal of Oral Science, researchers used single-cell spatial transcriptomics to profile the gingival tissues of 12 participants who had periodontitis with or without a history of smoking and healthy controls.

The analysis indicated that the participants with a smoking history experienced changes in the gingival tissues, including compromised epithelial barrier integrity, fibroblast alterations and dysregulated fibroblast-epithelial cell communication. These changes were found to result in the progression of periodontitis severity. However, when the researchers targeted the endothelial CXCL12 signaling pathway, markers of inflammation declined.

The researchers hope their findings can help advance the understanding of smoking-related periodontitis and lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies to treat this patient population.

Read more: International Journal of Oral Science

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