Periodontitis Tag

18 Jun

Posted at 11:16h in Author Interviews
[caption id="attachment_74358" align="aligncenter" width="500"]healthy-dental-gums-pexels.jpg Photo by Kasim H[/caption]

The Link Between Gum Disease and Heart Health: What You Need to Know

Many people may not realise that your gums and your heart are physically connected. Evidence points over and over again to the fact that people with gum disease have a higher risk of heart problems. The biggest reason seems to be that when you have an infection in your mouth, it causes the blood vessels in your whole body to get inflamed. So it is not just teeth and gum problems that come from bad gum health. The conditions that can affect your whole body might be signaled to you at this point.

The reason why it helps to know about this connection between gum disease and heart problems is that bacteria can travel quite easily when there is inflammation. It is very likely that when gums become infected, the same bacteria responsible for the swelling and bleeding can get into the blood through the soft tissues. In fact, it is the continuous inflammatory response of the body that is suspected as the cause of the arteries getting hard and narrowed. Per research, gum disease does not directly cause heart attacks, but the correlation is strong enough that dentists and doctors treating heart diseases are now including oral hygiene as a part that needs to be taken into consideration.

15 Apr

Posted at 13:54h in Author Interviews, Dental Research, Mental Health Research, NYU/NYMC
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_57140" align="alignleft" width="176"]ANGELA R. KAMER, DMD, MS, PhD Associate Professor Periodontology and Implant Dentistry NYU Dentistry Dr. Kamer[/caption] ANGELA R. KAMER, DMD, MS, PhD Associate Professor Periodontology and Implant Dentistry NYU Dentistry MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: The accumulation of amyloid β plaques and neurofibrillary pathology in the brain are pathognomonic to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Brain amyloid deposition begins decades before cognitive dysfunction and is thought to be the first AD pathological feature followed by tau tangle accumulations and other pathologies. The mechanisms by which brain amyloid develops are incompletely understood although inflammation and bacterial imbalances (known as dysbiosis) of the gut and oral cavity may be involved. Periodontal disease affecting more than 50% of elderly is an inflammatory, chronic condition characterized by periodontal tissue destruction and bacterial imbalances. Using PET studies, we showed previously that measures of periodontal destruction were associated with brain amyloid retention in the brain [1]. In this study, we sought to investigate whether subgingival (under the gum line) bacteria associated with Alzheimer’s disease specific pathology, namely amyloidosis and tauopathy.

24 Oct

Posted at 00:53h in AHA Journals, Author Interviews, Blood Pressure - Hypertension, Dental Research
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: "Still from "My Dental Hell(th)"" by littledropofpoison is licensed under CC BY 2.0Rita Del Pinto, MD University of L'Aquila Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, L'Aquila - Italy  MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: There is a wealth of literature in support of a role for inflammation behind cardiovascular risk factors and diseases. One relatively poorly explored field is that of oral diseases, namely periodontitis, as a potential source of low-grade, chronic inflammation. Previous studies had described a beneficial effect of periodontal treatment on blood pressure; we extended current knowledge with our findings on over 3600 treated hypertensive adults with and without periodontitis, showing a significant benefit over systolic blood pressure behavior and control in the presence of a good periodontal health. 

09 Sep

Posted at 01:48h in Author Interviews, Dental Research, Diabetes
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_27775" align="alignleft" width="159"]In-Seok Song, DDS, PhD Clinical Assistant Professor Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon Department of Dentistry, Korea University Anam Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea In-Seok-Song[/caption] In-Seok Song, DDS, PhD Clinical Assistant Professor Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon Department of Dentistry, Korea University Anam Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Periodontitis is a well-known cause of various systemic diseases including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes. As for type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance is responsible for the low-grade systemic inflammation, which can deteriorate body function throughout pancreatic β-cell dysfunction and impaired fasting glucose. There are emerging evidences that insulin resistance is a cause of periodontal disease progression among Korean adults as well as other citizens including American, French, Finnish, and the British. In this study, we hypothesized that insulin resistance aggravates the severity of periodontitis. We investigated the associations between type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, and severe periodontitis. The associations between severe periodontitis and insulin resistance in non-obese adults with normal body mass index (BMI) or waist circumference (WC) were also evaluated. We found that non-abdominal obese adults with insulin resistance were more likely to have severe periodontitis compared to metabolically healthy adults with normal waist circumference. Insulin resistance without abdominal obesity can be considered an independent risk factor of severe periodontitis.

23 Mar

Posted at 23:57h in Author Interviews, Dental Research, Genetic Research
Dr. Panos N. Papapanou: Professor of Dental Medicine; Chairman, Section of Oral and Diagnostic Sciences Director, Division of Periodontics Section of Oral and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Dental Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY, USAMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Panos N. Papapanou: Professor of Dental Medicine; Chairman, Section of Oral and Diagnostic Sciences Director, Division of Periodontics Section of Oral and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Dental Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Papapanou: Gene expression signatures in gum tissues obtained from patients with periodontitis identified two fairly robust clusters, suggesting potential differences in pathobiologic processes between the two groups. In addition, the two clusters displayed differences in important features of the disease (e.g., the extent and severity of periodontitis, and the level of colonization by periodontal bacteria). These findings indicate that gene expression patterns may form the basis for a novel, pathobiology-based classification of periodontitis.