HOLD FOR RELEASE UNTIL
June 15, 2000 at Noon (EDT)
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Fred Peterson
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Jann Ingmire
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Exploring the Association Between Gum Disease and Preterm Births, Osteoporosis
NEW YORK -- New research is showing that periodontal (gum) diseases may be a risk factor and have a role in many other ailments, ranging from diabetes to heart disease to stroke to preterm births and osteoporosis, according to Marjorie K. Jeffcoat, DMD, professor and chairperson, Department of Periodontics, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).
Dr. Jeffcoat, who also is president of the International Association for Dental Research, gave an update on her current research to attendees at the American Dental Association's National Media Conference, held today at the Crowne Center Plaza Manhattan Hotel. She is studying the possible association between periodontal diseases and preterm births, and between bone loss in the jaws and osteoporosis.
"Findings from our prospective study of some 2,000 pregnant women should determine the effect periodontal disease may have on an expectant mother delivering a preterm baby," disclosed Dr. Jeffcoat.
In general, preliminary results of the first 800 women to deliver in the study show a higher rate of preterm births among those with more severe periodontal disease, she said.
"If there is very mild periodontitis, there is a little bit of an increase," Dr. Jeffcoat explained. "If one has a very severe case of periodontitis, the probability of a preterm birth jumps many fold."
She added that another team of UAB researchers, led by John Hauth, M.D., Obstetrics/Gynecology, is studying other risk factors in preterm births.
Dr. Jeffcoat also revealed that preliminary data indicate there is a higher rate of progressive bone loss in the jaws of women with systemic osteoporosis in a study that she and colleagues at the University of Alabama are conducting. Researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, Bethesda, Md., also are partners in the study.
They tested the hypothesis that oral bone loss may be associated with bone loss in other parts of the body, such as the hip. The team is comparing the bone density seen in dental x-rays of 457 postmenopausal women with their hipbone density as measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA).
Physicians from UAB's Department of Medicine also are involved in the osteoporosis study.
"Periodontal diseases are characterized by inflammation, bacterial infection of the gums surrounding the teeth and bone loss," explained Dr. Jeffcoat. "People think of gum disease in terms of their teeth, but they don't think about the fact that gum disease is a serious infection that can release bacteria into the bloodstream and impact on one's overall health."
According to the American Dental Association (ADA), some form of gum disease affects about three out of four adults over age 35 and is a major cause of tooth loss in adults.
For more information about the ADA's position on this and other oral health issues, visit the ADA Web site at http://www.ada.org.
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