How mouth bacteria resist saliva's natural oxidants and affect tooth decay
Official title: The impact of bacterial oxidative stress responses on the ecology and pathogenicity of oral streptococci
Funded at University of Alabama at Birmingham · NIH-11300219 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at how some common mouth bacteria protect themselves from a natural saliva chemical and how that may change the mix of bacteria linked to cavities.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Alabama at Birmingham NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Birmingham, United States) |
| Project start | March 10, 2025 |
| Project end | February 28, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $369,201 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DE034490-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11300219 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants would include people with active dental cavities and people with healthy mouths who can provide saliva samples for comparing bacterial communities.
✕Less likely to help
People seeking immediate dental treatment or expecting direct personal health improvement are unlikely to receive clinical benefit from participating in this laboratory-focused research.
What this research studies
From a patient perspective, researchers will compare health-associated and cavity-associated Streptococcus bacteria to see why some survive better in human saliva. They will study a bacterial enzyme called RclA that can break down a saliva-made oxidant (HOSCN) and test how that enzyme changes bacterial survival in lab models. The team will run experiments that mix different bacterial species and expose them to saliva-like conditions to see which bacteria dominate. Results will be used to explain how bacterial defenses shape oral communities linked to tooth decay.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could point to new ways to prevent or reduce cavities by blocking bacterial defenses or promoting beneficial mouth bacteria.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research shows saliva produces the antimicrobial HOSCN and some bacteria resist it, but using the newly identified RclA enzyme to explain shifts in cavity-associated versus health-associated bacteria is a newer, less-tested idea.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gray, Michael Jeffrey — University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Study coordinator: Gray, Michael Jeffrey
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.