Treponema denticola is a motile and highly proteolytic bacterium. The Gram-negative oral spirochete is associated with the incidence and severity of human periodontal disease. Treponema denticola levels in the mouth are elevated in patients with periodontal diseases and the species is considered one of the main etiological agents of periodontitis.
When you're smiling, the whole world smiles with you; but what happens when gum or tooth disease starts to dim your pearly whites? Now, researchers from Japan have found a bacterial signature that marks the shift from healthy teeth and gums to periodontitis.