What are the Dangers of Gum Disease?
Gum Disease is the leading cause of tooth loss among adults. More
importantly, the infection releases toxins into the bloodstream
leading to serious health risks:
Sources: National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research
and American Heart Association
Is There a Cure?
Prevention and Early Detection are your best defenses against Gum
Disease. It is critical to catch and treat Gum Disease early before
destruction of bone and tissue has compromised your oral health.
Gum Treatment can effectively be used to treat and control even
advanced cases of Periodontitis (Pyorrhea), but the more advanced
the disease, the more likely it will lead to tooth loss.
News Articles
1) Gum Disease And Heart Disease, New Link, Virginia
Commonwealth University
Main Category: Dentistry News
Article Date: 03 Dec 2005 - 22:00pm (UK)
Virginia Commonwealth University researchers
have found that changes in the plasma lipoprotein profile of patients
with severe periodontitis - a condition characterized by chronic infection
and inflammation of the gums - may contribute to these patients' elevated
risk for heart disease and stroke.
The findings suggest that it may be beneficial to test periodontitis
patients for changes in their plasma lipoprotein profiles, so that
available medication can be taken if necessary.
In the December issue of the Journal of Lipid Research, researchers
found that patients with generalized aggressive periodontitis generally
had elevated plasma levels of a particularly bad subclass of the low
density lipoprotein (LDL) called small-dense LDL.
"Previous research has shown that people who have predominantly small-dense
LDL in their blood are at a three- to six-fold increased risk of heart
disease and stroke", said lead author Rik van Antwerpen, Ph.D., an
assistant professor of biochemistry at VCU. "A person may have predominantly
small-dense LDL without having alarmingly high blood levels of cholesterol.
Therefore, unhealthy levels of small-dense LDL are not always detected
in regular cholesterol tests."
According to the study, a second factor influencing the cardiovascular
risk of patients with severe periodontitis may be platelet activating
factor acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH), an enzyme that is associated with
small-dense LDL. PAF-AH is able to break down some of the inflammatory,
atherogenic components of LDL. Van Antwerpen said that the enzyme
may lower the atherogenic effects of LDL, and that the observed decrease
of LDL-associated PAF-AH activity in patients with severe periodontitis
may increase the cardiovascular risk of these patients.
"Our results indicate that these differences may in part be responsible
for the enhanced plaque build up in the arteries of patients with
severe periodontitis," said van Antwerpen.
In this study, a limited number of participants were enrolled - 12
patients with generalized aggressive periodontitis and 12 control
subjects without periodontal disease. Currently, van Antwerpen and
his colleagues are evaluating a greater number of patients with varying
degrees of periodontal infection and inflammation as they work toward
establishing testing guidelines for periodontitis patients.
This research was supported by grants from the National Institutes
of Health.
Van Antwerpen collaborated with Harvey A. Schenkein, Ph.D., Director
of the Clinical Research Center for Periodontal Diseases, and chair
of the Department of Periodontics, VCU School of Dentistry; Suzanne
E. Barbour, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry,
VCU School of Medicine; John G. Tew, Ph.D., professor in the Department
of Microbiology and
Immunology, VCU School of Medicine. Miguel Rufail, a graduate student
in the VCU Department of Biochemistry, carried out experiments.
About VCU and the VCU Medical Center: Located on two downtown campuses
in Richmond, Va., Virginia Commonwealth University is ranked nationally
by the Carnegie Foundation as a top research institution and enrolls
more than 28,500 students in more than 181 certificate, undergraduate,
graduate, professional and doctoral programs in the arts, sciences
and humanities in 15 schools and one college. Forty of the university's
programs are unique in Virginia , and 20 graduate and professional
programs have been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as among
the best of their kind. MCV Hospitals, clinics and the health sciences
schools of Virginia Commonwealth University compose the VCU Medical
Center , one of the leading academic medical centers in the country.
For more, see http://www.vcu.edu .
2) Gum Disease Link To Heart Problems
Release Dated Tuesday, 21st February 2006
Looking after your teeth and gums could
be one way of reducing your risk of heart disease, according to a
new study carried out in Belfast .
Researchers at Queen's University - funded by Northern Ireland Chest,
Heart and Stroke - found that middle aged men with gum disease were
three times more likely to suffer from coronary heart disease (CHD).
The research team, headed by Jim Briggs and Prof Gerry Linden at the
School of Dentistry , found that the risk arose even when all other
cardiovascular risks and diabetes were taken into account.
Four out of 10 people over the age of 40 in Northern Ireland have
significant gum disease.
Prof Linden said: "If an increased risk of CHD is attributable to
periodontal disease, then it has implications for a substantial proportion
of the population and for clinical practice. The fact that gum disease
is treatable, however, means that controlling it could be an important
public health measure."
Several previous studies have found evidence in the arteries of heart
patients of bacteria commonly associated with gum disease. It is believed
to cause damage by triggering an inflammatory response in the body.
Andrew Dougal, Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Chest, Heart and
Stroke, said: "As the researchers themselves point out, this study
does not provide definitive proof that gum disease causes heart disease,
but the evidence is building. It has important implications for Northern
Ireland , given our high levels of both conditions in comparison with
other countries."
The principal risk factor for gum disease is smoking. It is estimated
that more than half of all cases of chronic periodontal disease can
be attributed to tobacco consumption. Smoking is also a major risk
factor for heart disease and stroke.
The research findings have been published in a leading American dental
journal "The Journal of Periodontology".
3) Heart Disease
Several theories exist to explain the link between periodontal disease
and heart disease. One theory is that oral bacteria can affect the
heart when they enter the blood stream, attaching to fatty plaques
in the coronary arteries (heart blood vessels) and contributing to
clot formation. Coronary artery disease is characterized by a thickening
of the walls of the coronary arteries due to the buildup of fatty
proteins. Blood clots can obstruct normal blood flow, restricting
the amount of nutrients and oxygen required for the heart to function
properly. This may lead to heart attacks.
Another possibility is that the inflammation caused by periodontal
disease increases plaque build up, which may contribute to swelling
of the arteries.
Researchers have found that people with periodontal disease are
almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery disease as
those without periodontal disease.
Periodontal disease can also exacerbate existing heart conditions.
Patients at risk for infective endocarditis may require antibiotics
prior to dental procedures. Your periodontist and cardiologist will
be able to determine if your heart condition requires use of antibiotics
prior to dental procedures.
Stroke
Additional studies have pointed to a relationship between
periodontal disease and stroke. In one study that looked at the
causal relationship of oral infection as a risk factor for stroke,
people diagnosed with acute cerebrovascular ischemia were found
more likely to have an oral infection when compared to those in
the control group.
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