Periodontitis is an inflammatory gum disease caused by a bacterial infection and left untreated can lead to complications including tooth loss. The disease has also been associated with diabetes mellitus, premature birth, cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis and cancer. One of the main bacterial culprits behind periodontitis is Porphyromonas gingivaliswhich colonizes biofilms on tooth surfaces and proliferates in deep periodontal pockets.
Matcha, a finely ground green tea powder, can help you maintain P. gingivalis in a hard situation. This week at Microbiological Spectruman ASM open access journal, researchers in Japan report that matcha inhibited growth P. gingivalis in laboratory experiments. Additionally, in a clinical study of 45 people with periodontitis, those who used matcha mouthwash had significantly lower levels of P. gingivalis in saliva samples relative to the start of the study. “Matcha may have clinical application in the prevention and treatment of periodontitis,“, note the authors in the newspaper.
Camellia sinensis is a green tea plant that has long been studied for its potential antimicrobial effects against bacteria, fungi and viruses. A previous study in mice found that green tea extract can inhibit the growth of pathogens, including Escherichia coli. Other research has found that the extract can inhibit its growth P. gingivalis and reduce its adhesion to the epithelial cells of the mouth. Additionally, observational studies have associated green tea consumption with better health.
Used in traditional ceremonies and to flavor drinks and sweets, Matcha is made from raw leaves C. sinensis. For the new study, researchers from Nihon University School of Dentistry in Matsudo, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Tokyo, and other institutions conducted a series of in vitro experiments to test the effectiveness of a matcha solution against 16 oral bacterial species, including 3 strains of P. gingivalis. The matcha mouthwash showed little activity against strains of common oral bacteria.
Within 2 hours, almost all cultivated P. gingivalis The cells were killed by the matcha extract and after 4 hours of exposure, all cells were dead. These findings suggest bactericidal activity against the pathogen.
The researchers then recruited 45 subjects diagnosed with chronic periodontitis at Nihon University Hospital School of Dentistry in Matsudo for a clinical follow-up study. Patients were randomly divided into 3 groups: One group received a barley tea mouthwash, the second received a matcha extract mouthwash, and the third received a mouthwash containing sodium azulene sulfonate hydrate, which is used to treat inflammation. Saliva samples were collected before and after the intervention and analyzed by PCR, and participants were instructed to gargle twice daily.
The analysis revealed that patients in the group that used matcha mouthwash experienced a significant decrease in its level P. gingivalis. Patients in the other 2 groups did not show the same significant reduction.
While the new study is not the first to investigate the antimicrobial effects of tea-derived compounds P. Gingivalisthe researchers note that it supports the potential benefits of matcha as part of a treatment plan for people with periodontal disease.
Source:
Journal Reference:
NakaoR., et al. (2024) Multimodal inhibitory effect of matcha on Porphyromonas gingivalis. Microbiological Spectrum. doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.03426-23.
