Antibodies passed from mother to child before birth and through breastfeeding may programme the immune system towards lifelong gum disease prevention, according to new research published in Nature Communications.
The study, led by Professor Avi-Hai Hovav and DMD/PhD student Reem Naamneh at the Faculty of Dental Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, found that maternal immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies do not simply offer short-term protection in early life, but appear to shape how the oral immune system develops in ways that persist long after infancy.
The team worked with laboratory mouse models to examine two pathways through which mothers transfer immune protection: during pregnancy and through breast milk.
Two pathways, two functions
Antibodies transferred during pregnancy reach the neonatal salivary glands and are secreted into saliva. The researchers found these appeared to establish immune tolerance early on, helping the developing immune system distinguish between harmless bacteria and genuine threats.
In mice that lacked these prenatal antibodies, immune cell activation was heightened, bacterial loads in the salivary glands and gums were higher, and susceptibility to periodontitis in adulthood was significantly increased.
Breast milk antibodies served a separate function: supporting the physical development of the oral epithelium, the mucosal lining of the mouth. When these were absent, or disrupted by antibiotic exposure, the integrity of that barrier was weakened.
The NHS recommends exclusive breastfeeding for around the first six months of life. These findings add to a growing body of evidence that breast milk may offer benefits beyond basic nutrition, including a role in establishing the oral immune environment.
The team also identified that maternal IgG specifically targets bacteria from the Pasteurellaceae family – pathobionts linked to aggressive forms of periodontitis – suggesting a degree of targeted protection passed from mother to child.
Implications for gum disease prevention
The researchers propose that the findings could support future preventive strategies, including maternal immunisation during pregnancy, which might enhance the specific antibodies passed to the child and reduce their risk of chronic oral infection in later life.
The authors note that further research in human populations will be needed before clinical conclusions can be drawn, as the current findings are based on mouse models.
Follow Dentistry.co.uk on Instagram to keep up with all the latest dental news and trends.
