Dr. Bernhard Ganss with the Innovation in Oral Care Award, with Teresa Layer (l.), vice-president of oral health research and development, GlaxoSmithKine Consumer Healthcare, and Mary MacDougall (r.), IADR outgoing president.
Dr. Bernhard Ganss and co-investigator Dr. Eli Sone of the University of Toronto faculty of dentistry received an Innovation in Oral Care Award from the International Association for Dental Research/GlaxoSmithKline, in support of their research project on dentogingival attachment.
The researchers’ work will focus on investigating protein interactions that may be critical for attaching gums to teeth. The project builds upon Dr. Ganss’ related preliminary studies, including one that shows promising histological evidence in mice that deficiency in amelotin—an enamel protein expressed in the cells at the dentogingival junction of erupted molars—may lead to an increase in dentogingival attachment loss.
The research team plans on deriving peptides from the identified proteins, to be used as additives in toothpastes to fight gum recession.