7/31/2025–|Last update: 14:25 (Mecca time)
Researchers have created a new way to connect vaccines using the teeth thread, by inserting the vaccine through the tissues between the teeth and gums. Test tests showed that this new technology stimulates the production of antibodies in mucous surfaces, such as the lining of the nose and lungs.
The study was conducted by researchers from Texas Technical University in the United States, and its results were published in the Nature Biomedical Engineering on July 28, and was written by the Yurrick Alert website.
“The mucous surfaces are important, because they represent a source of entry for pathogens, such as influenza and Kovid 19,” says Harvinder Singh Jill, a professor of nanotechnology at North Carolina State University and co -author of the research paper.
The antibodies are mainly produced in the bloodstream throughout the body if the vaccine is given by injection, and relatively few of them are produced on mucous surfaces.
But when giving the vaccine via the mucous surface, antibodies are stimulated not only in the bloodstream, but also on the mucous surfaces. “This improves the body’s ability to prevent infection, due to the presence of an additional defense line of antibodies before the sick organism enters the body, and here comes the role of the connected epithelium,” says generation.
The link is a thin layer of tissues located in the deepest part of the pocket between the tooth and gums, and lacks the properties of the septum in the other epithelial tissues.
The term epithelium applies to the tissues that close the surface of the body parts such as lungs, stomach and intestine, and most epithelial tissues contain strong barriers designed to prevent germs – from viruses to dirt – to the bloodstream, but the link is different.
The absence of a barrier to the connected epithelium allows the release of immune cells to fight bacteria, and these immune cells are found in saliva, as well as between teeth and gums.
“Given that the connected epithelium is more permeable than the other epithelial tissues – a mucous layer – it represents a unique opportunity to bring vaccines into the body in a way that stimulates the production of antibodies strengthened throughout the mucous layers of the body,” says.
Does connecting vaccines to dental thread are useful?
To determine the feasibility of delivering vaccines through the link, the researchers applied the vaccine to a tooth cleaning thread, then cleaned the teeth of the experimental mice with the thread.
The researchers compared the production of antibodies in mice that received the peptide flu vaccine by cleaning the connective epithelium with the thread, through the nasal epithelium, or by placing the vaccine on the mucous fabric under the tongue.
“We found that the vaccine placing through the connective epithelium produces the response of antibodies to the mucous surfaces much that exceeds the current golden standard for vaccination through the oral cavity, which includes the placement of the vaccine under the tongue,” said Rohan Inger, the author of the study, who was a PhD student under the supervision of a generation at Texas Technical University. He added that “the technique of dental cleaning with thread provides similar protection against the influenza virus compared to the vaccine given through the nasal epithelium.”
“This is very promising, because most vaccine combinations cannot be given through the nasal epithelium. The barriers in the surface of the mucous membrane prevent the vaccine absorbing efficiently.” He added that “giving the vaccine across the nose may lead to its arrival to the brain, which may raise safety concerns, while vaccination through the connected epithelium does not pose any such risk. In this experiment, we chose one of the few vaccine combinations that suit the giving of the vaccine through the nose, because we wanted to know how to compare the giving the vaccine through the connected epithelium with the best possible scenario to give the vaccine via Nose.
The researchers have also tested how effective the connection of the connected epithelium with three other prominent categories of vaccines are proteins, broken viruses, and MRNA. The vaccine connection technique through the epithelial connection in the three cases produced strong responses to the antibodies in the bloodstream and across the mucous surfaces.
The researchers also found, at least in the animal model, that it does not matter eating and water immediately after using the vaccine thread covered with the vaccine, as the immune response was the same.
Advantages and disadvantages
The normal teeth thread is a suitable way to connect the vaccine to experimental mice, but researchers realize that it is practical to ask people to hold a thread of teeth enveloped with the vaccine with their fingers, and to face this challenge, the researchers used the teeth cleaning stick, and the teeth stick consists of a tight thread between two parties that can be carried with a handle.
The researchers packaging the teeth thread with a fluorescence dye, then the researchers recruited 27 participants in the study, explained the concept of placing the vaccine through the teeth thread, and asked the participants to try to use the teeth cleaner. “We found that about 60% of the dye was deposited in the gum pocket, indicating that the teeth thread may be a practical solution,” says Ingerol.
While there are still many questions that need an answer before considering the use of dental thread technology on humans, the researchers believe that there are great advantages that go beyond improving the response of antibodies to mucous surfaces.
“For example, it will be easy to give, and addresses many people’s concerns about acupuncture, and we believe that this technique should be similar to the price for other vaccine delivery techniques,” says generation.
This technique faces some challenges. For example, this technique will not succeed with infants and young children who have not yet appeared teeth. “We need to learn more about how or if this method is effective for people with gum disease or other mouth infections,” Jill adds to this problem.