QSIANT for periodontal disease
(Quorum Sensing Inhibitor enhanced ANtibiotic Therapy)
UK Patent awarded 19 December 2011
Now available from your own dentist if you live in the UK. If they are unaware of it, draw their attention to the link in the right column. We continue to see people on referral from their own dentist or self-referral. (NB the treatment isn't suitable for everyone, and your dentist will need to consider your suitability.)
Gum disease occurs because of the presence of bacteria and the body′s reaction to them and is a very complex process, which we are beginning to understand. Without bacteria there would be no gum disease. The severity depends on bacterial virulence (harmfulness) and the body′s response, which may be genetically based, altered by disease, or modified by habits such as smoking or alcohol consumption. One person may have virulent bacteria, but little response and gum disease is slight, whereas another may over-react even in the presence of mild bacteria and develop severe disease.
You may like to read the pages about treating gums, prevention, early gum disease, advanced gum disease and loose teeth for more background information. QSIANT is used only for advanced disease.
The aims of gum treatment:
- to eradicate periodontal disease
- To remove body-wide effects of gum disease such as inflamed blood vessels, disrupted glucose metabolism and kidney malfunction, amongst others.
- To maintain a full dentition so that appearance, function and comfort are not further compromised.
- To allow healing of damaged gum tissue.
- To allow bone to heal as far as is possible.
What the patient needs to do
Patient maintains excellent daily oral hygiene to reduce bacterial mass around teeth. Bacteria will form large colonies within hours causing irritation. It is necessary to master effective use of toothbrush, interdental brushes and dental floss to aid the healing process and maintain the healthy condition over the long term.
Where pastes and /or lozenges are prescribed for the healing phase to use or take them every day.
Where possible the habits of smoking and drinking alcohol should be reduced as far as possible. For most people, the degree of healing after treatment is dependent on this.
Use so far
Over 200 people have received treatment, ranging from those with extensive advanced periodontal disease, but still firm teeth, through those who have teeth showing some movement, to those where teeth are held in only by gum and move freely in all directions.
Normally, about 60% of a tooth's length is held in bone and as gum disease progresses this reduces until so little support is available that the tooth falls out, removed with fingers, or sticks to food.
If you have several teeth in your mouth and have severe gum disease it is likely some are saveable and can provide support for a denture. This is usually a much better outcome than accepting full dentures.
What we do in severe cases
Thoroughly clean the surfaces of your teeth, apply a conditioner to help the paste stick to the root surfaces, and then apply QSIant
After one month a second mechanical cleaning and application of QSIant
Contacting about this treatment
Patients requiring further information graham@wharfdental.com
Dentists/doctors requiring further information: go to
External links to information about Quorum Sensing
My notes about this entry (You may find this complex)
Quorum sensing is one small part of the way that bacteria respond in an organised way. It provides one lever we can exploit to control harmful bacteria, and I anticipate others will follow, but they may take decades to find.
Some suggest the attribution of intelligent behaviour to bacteria is misconceived and therefore Quorum Sensing doesn't really exist.
My work indicates intelligence doesn't come into this. Bacteria act as individual cells in response to their environment. Their environment includes molecules produced by other cells and when present prompt change in behaviour (via changes in gene expression producing various proteins).
This has been encouraged by evolutionary pressure working at a level higher than individual cells, but with implications for the survival of individuals. The emerging behaviour of groups of cells is based on complex outcomes of simple responses by many individual cells.
My work on bacterial organisational behaviour indicates we can tap into general aspects of this and interfere with these group outcomes. This could be to disrupt behaviour which causes harm to us, or to enhance behaviour which protects us.
The QSI part of QSIANT is produced by certain plants, found in our normal diet, and has evolved to protect them from bacteria. It is possible a combination of substances provides the protective effect, perhaps acting in a variety of ways. When we purify or produce the molecule suspected to act as a QSI, I suspect it will not be as effective as the plant extract at similar concentrations, and we will need to direct research to identify the supporting naturally occurring substances. It is very complex, but this doesn't stop us taking advantage of this natural activity.