Effects of hydrogen-rich water on aging periodontal tissues in rats
Tomofuji T et al. · Sci Rep. 2014;4:5534.
What kind of evidence is this?
Preclinical
Controlled 12-month drinking-water experiment in healthy aging rats
Oral and dental health
H₂-rich water
Not reported in this record.
Not reported in this record.
Methods at a glance
Four-month-old male Fischer 344 rats followed until 16 months of age
12 rats randomized to two groups of six
From age 4 months to age 16 months
Hydrogen-rich drinking water available throughout the 12-month experiment
H₂ dissolved in drinking water — H₂ only, not Brown’s gas and not inhalation.
>500 μg/L at 1 hour after electrolysis and >400 μg/L after 24 hours in a glass vessel.
Not applicable — oral drinking water, not gas inhalation.
No O₂ was co-delivered as part of the intervention.
Distilled drinking water
Outcomes and reported result
Periodontal and serum 8-OHdG, bone loss and density, osteoclasts, IL-1β and NLRP3-related gene expression
The article reports lower periodontal oxidative damage and some bone and osteoclast measures. IL-1β protein did not differ, and NLRP3-related gene expression was higher rather than lower in the H₂ group.
Allocation, concentration stability, duration, histology, positive and null results, funding and conflicts checked in the open-access full text.
A reported association, difference or mechanism is not automatically a clinical benefit. Null findings, outcome type, study design and precision all matter.
Cautions and applicability
Only 12 healthy rats, very long exposure, multiple tissue endpoints and no clinical periodontal symptoms.
Periodontal aging in healthy rats, not prevention or treatment of human periodontal disease.
Not reported in this record.
Not reported in this record.
Not reported in this record.
No single-study GRADE certainty rating is assigned. Certainty is assessed by important outcome across a complete eligible evidence set, not by attaching a final grade to one source.
Sources and record status
PMID: 24985521 · DOI: 10.1038/srep05534
Open-access full text is available through PMC and Scientific Reports.
Open-access PMC/publisher full text and PubMed record; no retraction or expression of concern was shown in the checked records on 7 August 2026.
2026-08-10