Living in space carries a variety of health risks. The hazards of radiation are well known, so NASA and other space agencies usually set limits on astronauts’ radiation exposure.
Microgravity is also a major factor affecting astronauts’ health. Through multiple International Space Station missions and long-term projects such as NASA’s “Twins Study,” scientists have gained a deep understanding of the effects of microgravity on the human body.
Studies have shown that long periods of microgravity can cause muscle atrophy, reduced bone density, impaired vision, cardiovascular and endocrine system disorders, and may even cause genetic changes.
And a recent new study suggests that the space environment may also cause another health problem: periodontitis. This is a common and serious gum disease that causes gum inflammation and leads to the gradual degeneration of the bones that support the teeth.
According to a new study from the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, astronauts in space have a higher incidence of periodontitis and are more likely to have loose or missing teeth.
The research may prompt space agencies to develop more comprehensive health management plans for astronauts and adopt new prevention and treatment measures in future space stations and deep space missions.
The study was led by Zahi Badran, professor of periodontology at the University of Sharjah’s College of Dentistry, and the research team also included experts from the university’s Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, Department of Clinical Health Sciences, Department of Basic Medicine, and the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) at the University of Nantes in France.
The relevant research results have been published in the Journal of Periodontal Research.
The authors of the study pointed out that although the effects of microgravity on overall health have been widely studied, especially in future missions to the moon and Mars and long-term cis-lunar space missions, its effects on oral health, especially gum diseases such as periodontitis, are still lacking in-depth understanding. To this end, the researchers simulated the potential effects of microgravity on periodontal health through experiments.
In the experiment, the researchers divided the experimental mice into two groups: one group was exposed to an environment that simulated microgravity, and the other group was a control group under Earth gravity.
The simulation of microgravity used the “hind limb unloading” technique, which is to raise the hind limbs of mice so that they cannot bear weight, thereby simulating the space state of body fluid transfer to the head, including changes in the flow of arteries, veins and cerebrospinal fluid.
Subsequently, the researchers introduced a periodontitis model in two groups of mice to observe the development of the disease. They placed ligature materials (such as filaments or metal wires) around the teeth of the mice to promote the accumulation of dental plaque and inflammatory response, which in turn caused bone loss.
This process is widely used to simulate periodontitis in oral medicine research. At the same time, the team also monitored alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity as an indicator of bone tissue growth, liver function and other physiological activities.
The results showed that mice in the Earth’s gravity environment had almost no bone loss, while mice in simulated microgravity had significant bone resorption – that is, the phenomenon of bones being broken down and reabsorbed through the blood.
This study emphasizes that future manned space missions need to integrate oral health into the overall health maintenance system and design personalized preventive measures for astronauts, especially to prevent and control gingival inflammation and periodontal disease.
The research team said that this is the first systematic study on the relationship between microgravity and periodontal health, and hopes to promote multidisciplinary research in this field and further expand the boundaries of space medicine.
In the future, the researchers also plan to expand the experimental model and add more microbiological and immunological parameters to more comprehensively explore the potential relationship between periodontal disease and other systemic diseases in a microgravity environment.
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