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Periodontal Medicine Continues to Break New Ground

Topics covered at a symposium June, 1999 sponsored jointly by the American Academy of Periodontology and the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.

CHICAGO – June 18, 1999 – The dental community has made giant strides during this century in explaining the pathogenesis, risk factors and medical implications of periodontal disease. Some of the most recent findings in these areas, as well as challenges for the periodontal community in the future, were the topics at a symposium this month sponsored jointly by the American Academy of Periodontology and the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.

At the conference, titled "Periodontal Medicine in the Next Millennium: Implications for Clinical Practice," Dr. D. Walter Cohen reminded the nearly 300 periodontists and other dental professionals in attendance how far they'd come since the 1960s, when bacteria still was not recognized as the cause of periodontal disease.

Dr.Cohen also provided a look toward the future when dental professionals will work more closely with their medical colleagues to understand and treat periodontal disease and the conditions to which it has been linked, including diabetes, heart disease, adverse pregnancy outcomes and osteoporosis. "I hope the day will come when doctors no longer use a tongue depressor only to look past the mouth into the pharynx of the body," said Cohen, a past president of the AAP.

Highlights of the information presented by lead researchers at the conference include:

Smoking is a major risk factor for periodontal disease. A smoker's risk of developing periodontal disease is increased anywhere from 2 to 10 percent, depending on the amount that person smokes.
Genetics can amplify or reduce the severity of periodontal disease. High production levels of interleukin-1 (IL-1) – which indicate that people may be more susceptible to severe periodontal disease – run in families. A genetic test now can be administered to discover if a person has this genetic marker, and this knowledge could provide further information about a patient's prognosis.
Eighteen percent of all pre-term, low-birth-weight births may be attributable to periodontal disease.
People with severe periodontal disease may be twice as likely to have the type of stroke caused by blocked arteries as those with good oral health.
People with severe periodontitis may be more than six times as likely to have poor glycemic control as those without periodontal disease.
Decreased bone mineral density and osteoporosis appear to be related to tooth loss. Hormone replacement therapy seems to be effective in saving teeth.

"The Academy is very excited about the research that was presented at this cutting-edge conference," said Dr. Robert Schoor, president of the American Academy of Periodontology. "We look forward to more studies to confirm these findings and to using this information to better collaborate with the medical community and our patients in the coming century."

Dr. Myron Nevins, program director, department of continuing education at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and Dr. Louis Rose, a periodontist and physician, organized the symposium. The Harvard School of Dental Medicine, founded in 1867, was the first university-based dental school in the country.

About the AAP

The American Academy of Periodontology is an 8,000-member association of dental professionals specializing in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases affecting the gums and supporting structures of the teeth and in the placement and maintenance of dental implants. Periodontics is one of nine dental specialties recognized by the American Dental Association.

For more information, contact the AAP Public Affairs Department at 312/573-3242.

Periodontal Medicine Continues to Break New Ground

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