How mechanical stress can accelerate bone destruction in periodontitis

Excessive bite force does not cause alveolar bone loss but significantly worsens it when combined with periodontitis, report researchers in a new study.

While traumatic occlusion has long been suspected to exacerbate periodontitis, the molecular mechanisms behind this link were poorly understood.

Now, using mouse models of both conditions separately and combined, the researchers conducted comprehensive gene expression analysis across multiple periodontal tissues, identifying key inflammatory pathways upregulated in bone when both conditions were present. ...