Unique tailoring of Th17 at the gingival oral mucosal barrier

Our recent work highlights unique requirements for the induction of Th17 cell
immunity at the oral and gingival mucosal barrier. Unlike other barrier sites, such as the skin and gastrointestinal tract, we found that Th17 cells can develop at the
gingiva independently of commensal microbiota colonization. Instead, we identified
that damage, which occurs physiologically due to mastication, promotes induction of Th17 cells and therefore tones homeostatic immunity at the gingiva.