German research team successfully used bovine heart collagen to repair degenerated gums. According to the Daily Mail, aging, oral diseases, grinding teeth and excessive brushing force are the main causes of gingival recession. Patients with exposed roots will have difficulty eating because their teeth are too sensitive, which will bring great inconvenience to their lives. But after the gums shrink, they can no longer grow on their own. Therefore, at present, most of the remedial measures are to take out autologous cells for culture and replant the damaged parts. But the whole process is time-consuming and expensive, so dentists can only advise patients to use soft bristles or eat less acidic food to avoid overuse.
The research team led by the University of Frankfurt in Germany has successfully conducted a bold experiment recently. They took collagen from the heart of cattle, disinfected it thoroughly, and wrapped it firmly in the bare root with surgical thread. During the experiment, subjects were not allowed to use toothbrushes. They could only clean their teeth with mouthwash twice a day, and then take out the thread two weeks later. After half a year's growth period, the researchers found that almost all the damaged gums recovered completely, and the effect was similar to that of autologous cell transplantation, and no one was infected or rejected. This paper was published in the March issue of the German Journal of Head and Facial Medicine.
Because too few people participated in the experiment, the public's doubts about cattle-related diseases have not been completely eliminated, and this breakthrough is still in the experimental stage; As for whether it is possible to use other animal tissues for gingival filling in the future, further experiments are needed to prove it.