The International Dental Medicine Fair, commonly known as Dentex, once again brought the dental industry to the forefront from June 6-8, 2024. Organized by Zagreb Fair and the Croatian Chamber of Dental Medicine, the biennial event presented cutting-edge innovations, including Lumoral, to its visitors from Croatia and abroad.

One of the highlights of this year's event was Lumoral – a cutting-edge antibacterial therapy device developed by Finnish scientists designed to significantly improve oral hygiene when used as an adjunct therapy to regular brushing and flossing. The themes of the Dentex fair covered key areas of dentistry and dental technology.

Lumoral attracts attention

Lumoral has garnered attention for its innovative approach to maintaining oral hygiene. The device employs a dual-light photodynamic therapy that targets and eliminates harmful bacteria in the mouth, promoting healthier gums and teeth. Its user-friendly design and proven effectiveness make it an attractive option for both dental professionals and patients seeking to improve their oral health.

Lumoral's participation in Dentex reflects Croatian distribution partner Med-Faktor’s commitment to advancing dental care through innovation. Attendees at the event had the chance to experience firsthand how the Lumoral device can be integrated into their practice to enhance patient outcomes.

"The Dentex fair was a resounding success for our team. We had a spacious 50-square-meter area to showcase our products, with Lumoral drawing the most interest among visitors," said Med-Faktor Key Account Manager Marko Sever Cuglin.

With over 250 exhibitors presenting similar products like 3D printers, intraoral scanners, and implants, Lumoral stood out as a unique innovation.

"Our 'Wheel of Fortune' prize game, featuring a Lumoral starter set as the main prize, was a hit. It served as an excellent opportunity to introduce Lumoral to doctors, who were curious about its purpose, usage, and the time frame for seeing positive results in patients' oral health."

Sever Cuglin noted that dental professionals were impressed by Lumoral’s capabilities, recognizing its potential to improve treatment outcomes and serve as a preventive measure. "We gathered about 100 contacts interested in Lumoral, whom we plan to follow up with. Orthodontists were particularly excited about how Lumoral can help with braces maintenance, and periodontologists saw its potential to enhance standard dental treatments significantly."

Lumoral as a preoperative treatment

Experts in antimicrobial photodynamic therapy highlighted Lumoral’s utility as a preoperative treatment, emphasizing its effectiveness in eliminating harmful bacteria before implant placements or other surgical procedures.

"Overall, the response from the dental community was overwhelmingly positive. We look forward to continuing our engagements and expanding Lumoral's reach in dental practices," Sever Cuglin added.

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Med-Faktor d.o.o. (www.medfaktor.hr), is a Croatia-based importing company established in 2010 by parent company Naturaldent Dental Group. The company is currently an exclusive distributor of products such as Medentis ICX implants, Belgian SMI sutures, NEXA3D printers and various other products for the countries of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Kosovo and Albania.

The 17th MegaGen International Symposium in Rome, Italy, will be held from May 30 to June 1, 2024. Organized by MegaGen, a leading dental implant company, the event gathers dental experts worldwide to discuss the latest technologies in implantology. Lumoral will be spotlighted at the event for its contribution to enhancing oral health for patients undergoing or considering implant treatments.

With the theme "All Roads Lead to Rome - Revolutionary Advances; The Journey to Full Mouth Restorations with Immediate Implants", the MegaGen symposium serves as a platform for networking, knowledge exchange, and professional development.  

At the event, attendees can participate in lectures, workshops, and hands-on training sessions led by renowned speakers and key opinion leaders in the oral health field. Topics covered during the symposium will include digital dentistry, immediate implant placement, surgical techniques, prosthetic dentistry, and more.

– For our Lumoral team, the event offers an invaluable opportunity to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the field of implantology. It also provides professionals in the implant industry with a great chance to introduce themselves with antibacterial Lumoral treatment and the benefits it offers to patients, says Tero Pasanen, Chief Commercial Officer of Koite Health Ltd.

Expanding Implant Market Spurs Demand for Lumoral Antibacterial Treatment

The global dental implants market is flourishing because of a growing prevalence of dental diseases and tooth loss, an aging population, and the rapid adoption of technological advancements and digital technologies, such as computer-aided design and 3D printing, in dental implant materials and design. 

Pasanen notes that with the implant industry expanding, the need for advanced oral hygiene methods, including Lumoral, is also growing. 

Finnish health technology company Koite Health Ltd. has been in a Lumoral distribution agreement with MegaGen Italia since May of last year. Pasanen notes that the event in Rome is a natural progression of the collaboration, helping to raise awareness of antibacterial light-activated Lumoral treatment among the participants.

Oral home care is very important for the health of dental implants. Because 95 percent of dental diseases are caused by bacteria in the plaque, regularly eliminating dental plaque improves dental hygiene as well as prevents and treats dental and gum disease. Proper oral hygiene combined with regular use of Lumoral could be decisive in preventing periodontitis and peri-implantitis.

Lumoral brings many benefits to implant patients: it helps sustain oral bacterial diversity while reducing plaque bacteria, it reduces gingivitis and plaque and tartar formation, and treats and prevents periodontitis and peri-implantitis efficiently.

– We believe that it is an excellent idea that dentists would offer a Lumoral device to all their implant patients to help prevent peri-implantitis and help keep the implants healthy, Mr. Federico Annoni from Megagen Italia said in an earlier interview.

World Oral Health Day is celebrated annually on March 20th. This year's theme - A Happy Mouth… A Happy Body  - emphasizes the connection between a healthy mouth and overall health.

Dental and oral bacteria are linked to many chronic diseases in the body. Thorough brushing and regular dental visits can also prevent strokes (1).

According to statistics from the World Stroke Organization (WSO), over 13 million people suffer from strokes each year, and one in four people will have a stroke in their lifetime. Surprisingly, up to 90% of these cases could be prevented by making lifestyle changes such as adopting a healthier diet, increasing regular exercise, quitting smoking, and even improving regular oral hygiene.

Medical Licentiate Olli Patrakka examined the significance of oral bacteria, especially viridans group streptococci, in the development of strokes in his recent doctoral dissertation in forensic medicine at the University of Tampere. Although these bacteria are normal mouth microbes, they can cause serious illnesses such as heart valve inflammation when they enter the bloodstream. For example, they can enter the bloodstream through inflamed gums while brushing teeth.

- These bacteria attach to the tooth's surface in the mouth and initiate the process, leading to the formation of dental plaque. We hypothesize that a similar phenomenon occurs when bacteria that enter the bloodstream during, for example, dental procedures or dental infections travel into the walls of the arteries. This may accelerate the development of both strokes and atherosclerosis, explains Patrakka.

Poor oral hygiene is a risk factor for strokes

According to Patrakka, dental bacteria can be found in the blood clots of stroke patients in about four out of five cases. A similar result has yet to be reported.

Blood clots from stroke patients treated in Tampere were collected for the study during acute care. In addition, samples from patients suffering from symptomatic carotid artery stenosis were used as tissues for endarterectomy.

Epidemiological studies have shown that poor oral hygiene is an independent risk factor for strokes.

- The results of my study suggest that the connection could be explicitly explained through the inflammatory reaction caused by dental bacteria in atherosclerotic plaques.

The findings of the dissertation are significant as they open up new opportunities to develop the treatment of stroke patients.

Patrakka estimates that the development of a vaccine may also be possible.

So, what practical implications can findings like these have on treating stroke patients and healthcare practices?

Although further research is needed to determine causality, the study supports the view that oral health must be taken care of, especially in those at risk of strokes.

According to Patrakka, the inflammation caused by streptococcal bacteria in the mouth should always be considered in stroke prevention as part of regular dental care. Additionally, it is essential to investigate the potential benefits of timely antimicrobial treatment or bacterial vaccines in the future.

Periodontitis is the root cause of many ailments

Studies show dental plaque bacteria are responsible for about 95 per cent of oral diseases. One of the most common oral diseases is periodontitis, a severe gum disease caused by dental plaque. Early signs of this disease include red gums, gum bleeding, and bad breath.

In patients with periodontitis, the fibres that attach the tooth to the gum are destroyed, forming a periodontal pocket between the gum and the tooth. This pocket may expand around the entire tooth. If the infection is not treated promptly and oral hygiene is not improved, it can progress to destroy more extensively the supporting tissues of the teeth and, ultimately, the jawbone.

Thorough oral hygiene is crucial for the prevention and treatment of oral infections. According to the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), more and more people in Finland brush their teeth at least twice a day, but there are still deficiencies in self-care. While about 80% of women brush their teeth at least twice a day, the corresponding figure for men is 53%.

Deficiencies in oral hygiene are directly reflected in the statistics of oral infectious diseases. For example, gum diseases are worryingly common in the age group of 30-44, both in women (43%) and men (57%).

Thorough mechanical brushing of teeth and cleaning of the interdental spaces are crucial because even asymptomatic oral inflammations can affect the body's overall health.

- According to statistics, individuals with healthy mouths live longer. Every missing tooth reduces life expectancy. This is talked about far too little, says Tommi Pätilä, a heart and transplant surgeon at HUS New Children's Hospital in Helsinki, Finland.

Pätilä is also one of the developers of the antibacterial Lumoral method. Lumoral is a medical device designed to improve oral hygiene and oral health. The antibacterial oral care method is especially suitable for patients with difficult-to-treat gum diseases such as periodontitis who do not get adequate results from traditional oral hygiene methods such as brushing teeth and cleaning interdental spaces.

The importance of interdisciplinary collaboration

According to Pätilä, collaboration between doctors and dentists is essential and needs to be increased in Finland. Many doctors in Finland already check the oral health status of their patients at their clinics and guide them to further treatment as needed. Diabetes is an excellent example of a disease where the importance of hidden inflammations is generally understood. However, more collaboration is required to expedite many diagnoses and even prevent general diseases.

- The recent medical dissertation at the University of Tampere is significant as it addresses oral health as part of overall body health, says Pätilä.

Olli Patrakka's interest in oral bacteria arose as part of his duties as a pathologist. Has the interest of young doctors in the impact of dental infections on general health increased?

- It hasn't increased, but it should. In the basic medical training I received about five years ago, there was also no discussion of the impact of dental infections on general health. Of course, the topic is still relatively new, but hopefully, awareness and scientific evidence will gradually increase over the years.

Patrakka emphasizes that a general practitioner should know when a dental problem requires a referral to a dentist. This would expedite the treatment of oral infections and potentially support the achievement of balance in the treatment of many general diseases.

- My research contributes to the evidence that the impact of oral health on general health is significant. The blood vessels of the tooth pulp are directly connected to the systemic circulation. Thus bacteria and their metabolites can circulate directly into our bodies if the teeth are not in good condition.

Olli Patrakka. Image: Hanna-Sofia Luoto

References:

Sen S, Giamberardino LD, Moss K, Morelli T, Rosamond WD, Gottesman RF, Beck J, Offenbacher S. Periodontal Disease, Regular Dental Care Use, and Incident Ischemic Stroke. Stroke. 2018 Feb;49(2):355-362. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.117.018990. Epub 2018 Jan 15. PMID: 29335336; PMCID: PMC5780242.

https://trepo.tuni.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/154588/978-952-03-3315-7.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y

Pakarinen S, Saarela RKT, Välimaa H, Heikkinen AM, Kankuri E, Noponen M, Alapulli H, Tervahartiala T, Räisänen IT, Sorsa T, et al. Home-Applied Dual-Light Photodynamic Therapy in the Treatment of Stable Chronic Periodontitis (HOPE-CP)—Three-Month Interim Results. Dentistry Journal. 2022; 10(11):206. https://doi.org/10.3390/dj10110206

Nikinmaa S, Alapulli H, Auvinen P, Vaara M, Rantala J, et al. (2020) Dual-light photodynamic therapy administered daily provides a sustained antibacterial effect on biofilm and prevents Streptococcus mutans adaptation. PLOS ONE 15(5): e0232775. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232775

Nikinmaa S, Moilanen N, Sorsa T, Rantala J, Alapulli H, Kotiranta A, Auvinen P, Kankuri E, Meurman JH, Pätilä T. Indocyanine Green-Assisted and LED-Light-Activated Antibacterial Photodynamic Therapy Reduces Dental Plaque. Dentistry Journal. 2021; 9(5):52. https://doi.org/10.3390/dj9050052