Mucosal vaccines for oral disease

Recent research and epidemiological studies have revealed that oral infectious diseases such as caries and periodontal diseases can trigger various systemic diseases, including diabetes, arteriosclerosis, infective endocarditis, myocardial infarction, rheumatoid arthritis, preterm birth, low birth weight, and intraoral infections. In addition, clinical problems include aspiration pneumonia caused by intraoral bacteria, which can cause death, and oral diseases and dental care of cancer treatment patients. Thus it can be said that infectious diseases occurring within the oral cavity have a great influence on the whole body in various forms. Therefore, it is urgent to develop a preventive vaccine against pathogenic bacteria of dental caries and periodontal diseases. Mucosal immunity is the optimal method for preventing infection in the oral cavity because it is where mucosal and systemic immunity intersect. In this chapter, the latest technologies and strategies of immunotherapy and vaccine development for preventing the onset of dental caries and periodontal diseases are introduced.