Cranberry may offer periodontal health benefits.

Cranberries contain proanthocyanidins (PACs) that can prevent the adhesion of certain of bacteria, including E. coli, to the urinary tract wall. The anti-adhesion properties of cranberry may also inhibit the bacteria associated with gum disease and stomach ulcers. Over the past several years, cranberry has been attracting growing attention from dental researchers. Several groups have shown that cranberry can be effective in reducing the virulence properties of the cariogenic bacterium Streptococcus mutans.

Canadian scientists are offering evidence that supports the potential benefits of cranberry constituents for optimizing periodontal health. This evidence suggests that the constituents, especially those with high molecular weight, could serve as bioactive molecules that prevent for preventing or treating periodontal diseases.

Cranberry non-dialysable material (NDM), enriched in high molecular weight polyphenols, especially the proanthocyanidins, may be able to inhibit periodontal pathogenic bacteria, the host inflammatory response and proteolytic enzymes that degrade the extracellular matrix.

Dental plaque is composed primarily of oral bacteria that have attached themselves to tooth and gum surfaces, and to each other. This biofilm may be comprised of hundreds of species and can resist saliva and mechanical brushing which would otherwise remove these bacteria. Plaque is a major cause of periodontal disease. Researchers have shown the NDM fraction to be a potent inhibitor of biofilm formation and attachment of Porphyromonas gingivalis, the major etiological agent of chronic periodontitis. This cranberry fraction has inhibited proteolytic activities of three major periodontal pathogens: Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia and Treponema denticola.

These observations suggest that the cranberry NDM fraction has the potential to reduce both the proliferation of periodontal pathogens in periodontal sites and their proteinase-mediated destructive process that occurs in periodontitis. In addition, the fraction can inhibit lipopolysaccharide-induced pro-inflammatory mediator production by macrophages and gingival fibroblasts. This suggests that it may limit the inflammatory reaction elicited by periodontopathogens that leads to the destruction of periodontal tissue.

The activity and production of extracellular matrix destructive enzymes were also inhibited by NDM. In addition, the cranberry NDM fraction has a capacity to reduce bone resorption by inhibiting the formation of osteoclasts, which are bone-destructive cells.

Further information. Daniel Grenier, Faculte de Medecine Dentaire, Pavillon de Medecine Dentaire, Local 1716, Laval Universite, Quebec, PQ, Canada G1K 7P4; phone: [phone]; fax: [phone]; email: mailto:[e-mail].