Antibiotic resistance and bacteria caused diseases are a major threat to modern medicine and contribute to high health care costs and deaths. Koite Health – a SPARK alumni and BioDesign program fellow (2016) from iDenta project – chose dental diseases as the first target segment for its technology as dental diseases are common, the prevalence of the periodontal disease is 20-50%, and for tooth decay, it is close to 100%.

These diseases are caused by bacteria colonization and are preventable. Importantly, dental conditions link to many systemic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, pulmonary diseases, and an almost nine times higher risk of dying to the COVID-19 virus. The total cost associated with oral diseases is a whopping €470 billion, with oral home care being €40 billion. We estimate that our home-use technical mouthwash has a total achievable market of €50 billion, of which we can reach 10 billion and obtain €1 billion.

Combating bacteria-caused diseases is challenging as bacteria can form a resistance against antibacterial therapies, such as antibiotics, highlighting antibiotic resistance as a major health care problem. In addition, the bacteria can form biofilm structures that make them far less susceptible to antibacterial therapies requiring over a hundred times higher drug or antiseptic concentrations. High drug or antiseptic concentrations can affect the body’s normal microbiome, essential for the upkeep of good health. Dental diseases are among the most troublesome to take care of as teeth are the body’s only non-shedding surface, enabling chronic biofilm build-up. The high prevalence and huge capital spend on oral diseases is a clear indication that the problem of bacterial caused dental diseases is not solved with the present methods.

Koite® dual-wave aPDT relies on a multi-target approach instead of a key-hole approach present in antibiotics. Because of this, dual-wave aPDT does not cause or suffer from antibiotic resistance. The method includes a consumable mouthrinse and a light activator device. The light activation provides another advantage over traditional antibacterial methods. In the dual-wave method, a non-antibacterial substance is applied on the site of infection, and the antibacterial effect is activated by specific light.  The antibacterial effect is only active during light activation and in the location where light is directed without negative systemic effects on good bacteria, which is a known side-effect of antibiotics treatments.

Last June Koite Health launched Lumoral® product for dental care. Lumoral® treatment provides an extremely potent antibacterial action for the inactivation of dental disease-causing bacteria.

Lumoral® treatment inactivates the residual plaque left behind after routine dental hygiene. The treatment targets specifically dental plaque, and the healthy bacteria flora in the mouth are kept intact.  The unique action of the method enables repeated use without fear of antibacterial resistance formation. Lumoral® is suitable for everyone who wants to improve their oral hygiene. It is especially beneficial for those who suffer from dental diseases despite a good oral hygiene routine and those who have a high risk of developing severe systemic diseases.

Koite Health is a spinoff company from Aalto University and aims to raise series A funding during 2021 to open new markets for Lumoral products and expand its clinical data collection and Key Opinion Leader -network. Koite Health was found in 2018 in Finland and is ISO9001 and ISO13485 certified.

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