Understanding mouth bacteria linked to gum disease getting worse or staying stable
Official title: Defining Dysbiosis and Mechanisms of Periodontitis Progression and Stability
Funded at University of Pennsylvania · NIH-11306656 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at mouth bacteria over time in adults with chronic gum disease to find patterns that predict when the disease will worsen or remain stable.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pennsylvania NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | May 17, 2024 |
| Project end | April 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $574,390 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DE033033-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11306656 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults (21+) with chronic periodontitis, especially those who have had dental exams with plaque or gingival crevicular fluid samples collected over time, are the ideal candidates for relevance to this work.
✕Less likely to help
People without gum disease, or those needing immediate dental treatment, are unlikely to benefit directly from this observational, sample-based research.
What this research studies
If you have periodontitis, researchers will use stored clinical records and samples of plaque and gum fluid from adults who were followed for a year to see which bacterial changes came before disease worsening. They will combine lab analyses with computer models to find microbial signatures tied to progression versus stability. The work uses an existing biobank at the University of Pennsylvania so new sampling is minimized. Findings aim to reveal why tissue destruction happens and point to microbial markers that could guide care.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could enable earlier identification of people at risk for tooth and gum loss so dentists can target treatments and monitoring.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work has suggested links between microbial shifts and periodontitis, but longitudinal human mechanistic data are limited and this project builds on an existing biobank to provide new human-focused insights.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Teles, Flavia Rocha — University of Pennsylvania
- Study coordinator: Teles, Flavia Rocha
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Understanding the role of microbial changes in gum disease progression
This study is looking at how the bacteria in your mouth can affect gum disease, specifically periodontitis, and aims to find out which types of bacteria might show if the disease is getting worse or staying the same, so that better treatments can be developed for people with this condition.
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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.