Scientists have proposed an unusual and painless vaccination method using dental floss coated with inactivated influenza virus. Mice were flossed three times at two-week intervals, and after infection the level of protection was 100%.
The main breakthrough is the delivery of the vaccine through the junctional epithelium between the tooth and the gum, which has high permeability. This method not only avoids injections, but also produces a local immune response on mucous membranes — precisely where infections most often enter.
In the first experiment with people, the researchers confirmed that substances from the floss do in fact reach the needed space in the gum. If further trials in larger animals and humans are successful, this could make vaccination more accessible, faster and more comfortable.
