Raising Awareness of P.gingivalis

That the Parliament notes recent and extensive research into Porphyromonas gingivalis, a bacteria now recognised to be a major contributory factor in a host of inflammatory diseases, such as heart disease, Alzheimer’s and rheumatoid arthritis, and linked to a wide array of conditions ranging from cancer to type 2 diabetes and Parkinson’s disease; is aware that, historically, P.gingivalis was considered a gum disease but it is now known to enter the bloodstream, where it can hide in the white blood cells of the immune system and then migrate to and damage organs ranging from the liver and pancreas to the heart and brain; notes the view that greater consideration should be given by Scottish Ministers to the threat posed to the health of people in Cunninghame North and across Scotland by P.gingivalis, and further notes calls for more research to be undertaken into how to improve prevention of the condition and what its effects mean for the treatment of patients.