May 28, 2020

Put your money where the mouth is

Espoo health tech startup Koite Health targets harmful oral bacteria via new product.

Straight from the horse’s mouth: oral hygiene is crucial from the perspective of your overall health. As poor oral health leaves you susceptible to over 200 chronic diseases, it makes sense to make the mouth a big priority in healthcare. Startup Koite Health launches an exciting new product in June 2020 in order to accomplish just that.

A team of Finnish dentists, doctors, chemists, semiconductor specialists, biomedical scientists, and geneticists have successfully developed an entirely new type of antibacterial method for dental hygiene. The effect of the product is based on antibacterial photodynamic reaction, meaning that light activates the antibacterial effect of the mouthwash.

“We are calling it hi-tech mouthwash,” says co-founder, CEO Sakari Nikinmaa from Koite Health.

We’re calling it hi-tech mouthwash.

Light is the magic ingredient here: without it, the mouthwash has no effect. Nikinmaa explains that the photodynamic reaction is known in dentistry, but its practical implementation has been both cumbersome and expensive. Then Tommi Pätilä, assistant professor of Pediatric Heart Surgery and Organ Transplantation, got to talking with Nikinmaa a few years ago as part of the Biodesign Finland project.

Biodesign Finland provides boost

This meeting of the minds was exactly what Biodesign Finland was created for in the first place. It is based on the Biodesign concept (developed by Stanford University), which supports the formation of interdisciplinary teams. Brimming with diversity and armed with the skills to solve complex medical problems, these teams are able to develop technology that is ripe to be commercialized.

Tommi Pätilä had come up with the initial concept of the photoactivated method around 2014, but the idea was left on a back-burner for a while. As a heart surgeon, Pätilä knew only too well the implications of poor oral health to general health. Pätilä met Aalto University researcher Sakari Nikinmaa in connection to the Biodesign Finland project in 2016 and pitched him the idea.

“We probably wouldn’t even have met without our involvement in Biodesign Finland,” Nikinmaa looks back. “Once Tommi told me of the concept, I was very impressed right away and convinced that the potential of the product would be considerable.”

Koite Health CEO Sakari Nikinmaa (on the left) and COB Tommi Pätilä have been working diligently to commercialize hard science.

Huge market opportunity

According to a market study that Pätilä and Nikinmaa commissioned, the issues related to oral health – and lack thereof – come with a whopping price tag of EUR 400 billion, globally speaking. They already knew that the most challenging problems in dentistry are caused by tooth decay or periodontitis (long-term inflammation of the gingival tissue).

“These diseases are caused by bacterial biofilms,” explains Nikinmaa, adding that they are common but often stay asymptomatic for a long time. Most adults have some degree of bacterial inflammation in their teeth or gingival tissue.

We start with Finland, then we move on to Nordics. Future plans include making Lumoral for kids.

The hi-tech mouthrinse adheres tightly to dental plaque. Dual light of Lumoral activates the antibacterial function. The procedure is completed by brushing the teeth to remove the residual plaque.

Enter: Lumoral!

This is where the product – called Lumoral – comes in: Lumoral helps to manage biofilm bacteria. And how does it work, exactly? Well, first you rinse your mouth with Lumorinse for 30 seconds, allowing the light-sensitive colourant to adhere to the surface of the plaque.

Then you put Lumoral in your mouth, applying light for 10 minutes. The light activates the light-sensitive colour, which in turn mediates the antibacterial effect. When antibacterial effect kicks off, you get a feeling of warmth as part of the photothermal action.

“The warm sensation in your mouth may seem surprising at first, but most people find it pretty pleasant,” Nikinmaa says.

Once the 10 minutes is up, the adherent plaque – invisible to the eye – can be brushed away: and voilà, your teeth have become amazingly clean.

Startup fast facts

Name: Koite Health

Product: “hi-tech mouthwash” Lumoral boosts oral health by killing harmful bacteria

Founded: 2018

Team size: 6

Target customer/market: first adults, then children around the world

Roadmap for growth

According to Nikinmaa, the eventual market for the product is the entire planet, but the June launch of Lumoral is still a domestic one:

“We start with Finland, then move on to Nordics,” he lays down the game plan. Future plans include making a ‘Lumoral for Kids’ as soon as the initial launch is complete.

“Looking beyond just oral health, we see potential in applying the concept to skincare, for instance.”

The case for collaboration

Going back to the origins of the startup, Nikinmaa refers to Biodesign Finland as a “textbook example” of how bringing people from different backgrounds together can lead to great things. He sees that this is also an example of how the Greater Helsinki health tech ecosystem is boosting startups and innovators onwards:

“Whether it’s the University of Helsinki or Aalto or Business Finland, there are various forums where you can engage in collaboration.”

Text: Sami J. Anteroinen
Photos: Koite Health