On February 17, 2025, the 4th Sakeology Seminar in FY2024, “Rice-Fermented Foods and Health: Research from the Faculty of Dentistry,” was held. In the seminar, OKAMOTO Keiichiro, Ph.D., Associate Professor of the Faculty of Dentistry, Cooperating Faculty Member of the Sakeology Center, gave a lecture on his research.

Dr. Okamoto introduced the background to his research and the findings, connecting the rice-fermented foods (sake, sake lees, and rice koji), a regional industry of Niigata Prefecture, and his research to date.
He showed that the administration of sake, sake lees, and rice koji reduced stress-induced anxiety- and pain-like behaviors, and the filling at the region of pulp exposures with sake lees increased the area of the dentin-like tissues. These results indicate the potential of rice-fermented foods to decrease conditions of psychological stress and to affect the tooth pulp function.

The 5th Sakeology Seminar in FY2024 is scheduled for March 2025.
*The Sakeology Seminar is open to the faculty members and staff of Niigata University.