Researchers from Texas have developed an innovative vaccine with dental floss. Some people are scared of needles and that’s why they avoid getting vaccinated, but what if I told you these Texas researchers have come up with an idea none would have ever imagined? I’m talking about using dental floss instead of needles.
This comes from a team of the Texas Tech University, who identified a particular part of the mouth as possible for vaccines: the junctional epithelium (JE), located where the gums meet the teeth. So, let’s find out more about this curious discovery.
The junctional epithelium became an opportunity
This part of the mouth is ‘’leaky’’ by nature, its function is to allow immune cells to move in order to defend the oral cavity from bacteria. This feature was used by Texas researchers who proposed the following hypothesis: if the tissue is permeable and full of immune cells, why not use it as the entrance point for vaccines?
Scientists wrote in their study: ‘’We suspect this filtration of the JE could accelerate the entrance of antigens of vaccines and the abundance of immune cells in this microenvironment could generate an adaptive immune response.’’
Why dental floss?
The difficult part is reaching the JE because it’s in a very deep part of the gum line. There, is where dental floss plays a key role since it’s the perfect tool to reach those narrow parts.
The Texas team covered dental floss with different vaccines and tested it on mice during several weeks. The results were surprising:
- There was a strong immune response both in the mouth and the whole body of the animals.
- Vaccinated mice with dental floss were protected against flu infections.
First testings on humans
Although there’s still a long way to go for clinical trials, Texas researchers have already done an initial test on humans using dye instead of vaccines. When they used dental floss, scientists saw that enough substance reached the JE which suggests that the method could also work in people.
According to the authors: ‘’These findings establish floss-based vaccination as a simple, needle-free strategy that enhances vaccine delivery and immune activation compared with existing mucosal immunization methods.’’
Advantages
If we compare dental floss to traditional vaccines, this new Texas method offers several benefits. So, let’s have a look at them:
- No needles: you wouldn’t feel pain or be scared.
- Easy to use: it could be applied at home.
- Simple storage: the dental floss with vaccine would be easier to transport and store.
- Great for pandemics: it could be sent by mail, speeding up mass vaccination campaigns like those seen during COVID-19.
Even better, researchers believe this method could boost something called mucosal immunity, basically our body’s front-line shield against germs that sneak in through the mouth or nose. It’s an exciting glimpse of what the future of medicine might look like, and it all started in Texas.
A promising future coming from Texas
This isn’t the first time scientists have looked for needle-free options. In the past, they experimented with vaccines under the tongue or inside the cheek, but those methods didn’t work well — the medicine simply didn’t get deep enough into the tissues. Now, though, this new approach from Texas seems to finally solve that problem.
It’s crazy to think of the many advances of medicine and each one means a positive impact on us. So, once scientists finish all the testing and evaluations for this method, imagine the doors it will open in the future. Who knows what new alternative to what disease this dental floss could be the original idea of?