16/09/2026
Scientists at La Trobe University have identified a potentially new way to target the bacterial communities involved in gum disease — using bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria rather than human cells.
In a 2026 laboratory study, researchers used a bacteriophage called FNU1 to specifically target Fusobacterium polymorphum, a bacterial species that helps organize complex periodontal biofilms. When this “scaffold” bacterium was disrupted, the larger bacterial community became unstable.
In the laboratory biofilm model, the treatment reduced total biofilm levels by more than 90%, while several other periodontal bacteria decreased by more than 85%.
The important caveat: this was an in-vitro laboratory study, not a clinical trial in people. The results do not yet show that phage therapy can treat gum disease in patients.
Still, the research highlights an intriguing strategy: instead of broadly killing bacteria, precisely targeting one important member of a harmful microbial community may help disrupt the entire biofilm while potentially preserving more of the healthy oral microbiome.
More research will be needed before this approach could become a dental treatment.