Project 458724

Red and swollen gums? Most people think this condition is not a big deal; however, when left unattended, swollen gums can progress and cause irreversible damage to the boney architecture underneath the gum that holds our teeth in place. Despite many decades of research, there is currently no effective treatment to restore periodontal tissues; advanced gum or periodontal disease remains a burden for patients, clinicians, and the Canadian healthcare system. In this project, I will develop a multi-layered scaffold system to restore the gum and bone tissue around the teeth. I hypothesize that the localized release of proteins from materials that I generate, in combination with bone-like materials, will restore the function of the gum structure. I will (1) develop membranes that contain and release the proteins in a controlled manner, (2) use human cells to study the renewal ability of the bone grafts and membranes combination, and (3) test this combination in rats with gum disease. By developing this approach as a cost-effective, safe, and easily applicable multi-layered system, I will have created a novel way to reverse the previously "irreversible" gum disease.