Brushing your teeth is not enough – Finnish innovation treats and prevents periodontitis efficiently

First results of Europe’s largest study show that eliminating the bacteria contained in dental plaque should be as vital a part of dental hygiene as brushing your teeth and flossing. Lumoral, a Finnish innovation revolutionising preventive and at-home dental care, has significantly reduced gingivitis and improved dental hygiene in the study.

Europe’s largest periodontitis study is currently being carried out at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. The first results of the three-year study indicate clearly that using the Lumoral device created by Finnish health tech company Koite Health reduces gingivitis and improves dental hygiene significantly. Lumoral utilizes an efficient antibacterial method developed by Finnish researchers that eliminates disease-causing bacteria from dental plaque.

Periodontitis, a chronic infection caused by bacteria, is a disease that affects as many as 70% of people in Western countries. Periodontitis is the sixth most common disease in the world that can also lead to other conditions such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Infections in the mouth are mainly caused by accumulated dental plaque, that can lead to tartar buildup if not removed properly.

Koite Health

More than 50% of the achieved healthy gums after 3 months of antibacterial treatment

The report covering the three-month results has been sent for publishing in a special edition of Dentistry Journal. The report is currently available at Preprints. The study shows that 54 percent (N=59) of participants that used Lumoral were healed from inflammation of the gums based on the BOP (bleeding on probing) index – 2.5 times more than in the control group that didn’t use the device. In the control group, only 22 percent of participants had healthy gums after three months. The participants that used Lumoral had a significantly lower amount of plaque build-up, whereas the control group still had the same amount of plaque left.

”You can only remove half of the plaque by brushing your teeth – it’s no wonder cavities and gingivitis are among the most common diseases in the world. If we want to improve the results of dental care treatments, we need to focus on removing the plaque that is left on the teeth after brushing them,” says Professor Timo Sorsa from the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases at the University of Helsinki.

“Our hypothesis was correct: 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. The results are exceptional and prove that using Lumoral when treating gum disease makes the treatment a lot more efficient than before,” explains one of the developers of Lumoral, heart surgeon Tommi Pätilä.

“We expect the further results to be even better after the participants have been using Lumoral regularly for six months,” Pätilä says.

Koite Health

Lumoral is a science-based innovation by the Finnish health tech company Koite Health, founded by Tommi Pätilä (photo) and Sakari Nikinmaa.

Revolutionising preventive dental care

Lumoral, developed by the Helsinki-based health tech company Koite Health, is a teeth cleaning device that is used in addition to regular tooth brushing. The device is suitable for everyone, but is especially beneficial for those with cavities or gingivitis. Lumoral’s dual-light therapy has revolutionized Finnish preventive dental care. Lumoral is a class II medical and CE approved device, and more than 5,000 units have been sold so far.

The Lumoral device combines antibacterial photodynamic treatment (aPDT) with antibacterial blue light (aBL). The method is based on the antibacterial “red” PDT-light that promotes oral health and how it activates the light-sensitive Lumorinse mouth rinse, thus creating a reaction that eliminates harmful bacteria from the mouth. There is no similar product on the market, and similar treatment has only been provided at dental clinics.

“We want to permanently improve at-home dental hygiene. Before, advanced gingivitis has only been treated at the dentist, where the waiting lists are long and the treatment might be expensive. Using the Lumoral device combined with proper treatment from professionals reduces the number of infections in the mouth. Without proper at-home care, treatment done by oral health professionals is not as effective as desired, either, so using Lumoral is also beneficial for them,” Tommi Pätilä says.

The company’s expert team consists of experienced doctors and technology experts. Founders Sakari Nikinmaa and Tommi Pätilä founded Koite Health in September 2018 with the help of the Biodesign project and the commercialization project funded by Business Finland and Aalto University.

Full press release

More news

Health Capital Helsinki

Brushing your teeth is not enough – Finnish innovation treats and prevents periodontitis efficiently

More than 50% of the achieved healthy gums after 3 months of antibacterial treatment

Revolutionising preventive dental care

More news

EsaDres redefines wound care with tailored solutions

Natal Mind is on a mission to revolutionise parental mental care

Ankerias is revolutionising chronic pain treatment with AI

Health Capital Helsinki

Newsletter

Brushing your teeth is not enough – Finnish innovation treats and prevents periodontitis efficiently

More than 50% of the achieved healthy gums after 3 months of antibacterial treatment

Revolutionising preventive dental care

More news

Health Capital Helsinki

Newsletter

Follow us