Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

September 10-16, 201212 Perio Tribune United Kingdom Edition page 11DTß ing, root planing and other procedures to remove the plaque and bacteria that have accumulated in pockets be- tween the teeth and gums. Dentists may combine this with antibiotics to fight the bacteria involved in gum dis- ease. Many scientists are seek- ing alternative treatments that kill the bacteria. Little’s group is taking an entirely different approach. They are target- ing the inflammation process. “Although bacteria start the disease, inflammation is what keeps it going and causes pro- gressive damage,” Little ex- plained. To reduce inflammation at the gums, Little and col- leagues designed injectable controlled-release capsules containing a protein encased inside a plastic-like poly- mer material. The polymer is already used in medicine in dissolvable sutures. After the capsules are injected, the polymer slowly breaks down, releasing the protein encap- sulated inside. The protein, termed a chemokine, is al- ready produced by the body’s existing cells in order to sum- mon specialised white blood cells to a specific site. Scien- tists previously tried to keep those cells, termed lympho- cytes, away from the gums so as to block inflammation from occurring in the first place. “It seems counterintui- tive to lure in a lymphocyte, which is traditionally thought of as an inflammatory cell, if there’s inflammation,” Little pointed out. “But remember that a certain level of natural inflammation is required to fight off an infection. Inflam- mation is inherently a good thing, but too much of it is a bad thing. That’s why we aim to restore the immune bal- ance, or homeostasis.” Little’s team injected the capsules into mice and dis- covered evidence that disease symptoms are dramatically reduced and that proteins and other substances involved in regrowth of gum tissue had appeared. Little said that this finding offers encouragement that the treatment could not only rebalance the immune system, but also prompt re- growth of lost gum and bone tissue in the mouth. The researchers acknowl- edged funding from the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Founda- tion, the Wallace H Coulter Foundation and the National Institute of Dental and Cranio- facial Regeneration of the NIH (1R01DE021058-01). DT This research was present- ed at a meeting of the Ameri- can Chemical Society. Source: American Chemi- cal Society http://portal.acs. org/portal/acs/corg/content ‘Inflammation is inherently a good thing, but too much of it is a bad thing. That’s why we aim to restore the immune bal- ance, or homeostasis’ A number of key decision makers and specialists in periodontology, dental public health & restorative den- tistry came together recently to review the latest additions to the wealth of clinical evidence on Triclosan & Copolymer at an event held within the superb English Heritage site of Wel- lington Arch in central London. Dr Anousheh Alavi, Scien- tific Affairs Manager, Colgate UK & Ireland, opened the pro- ceedings by reviewing the sta- tus of periodontal health and preventive behaviour data from the recent Adult Dental Health Survey.1 Dr Alavi also shared the hierarchy of evidence base, from systematic reviews to consensus of experts, in line with the ranking of evidence in the Department of Health publication: Delivering Better Oral Health2 and shared some insight into the difference be- tween therapeutic and cosmet- ic claims made by toothpaste manufacturers, depending on whether the products had me- dicinal licence status. Dr Fotinos Panagakos, Col- gate Director of Clinical Re- search based in Piscataway, NJ, USA, reviewed the latest clini- cal studies on Triclosan & Co- polymer. Bringing the clinical evidence to life, Dr Panagakos gave an overview of Triclosan and Copolymer Technology, used exclusively in Colgate To- tal, before sharing a compelling wealth of clinical evidence on the effects of Triclosan & Copol- ymer on plaque, gingivitis, peri- odontitis, and peri-mucositis around dental implants. New Colgate® Total® Pro Gum Health toothpaste is medi- cally licensed to ‘improve gin- gival health and reduce the progression of periodontitis’. It contains clinically proven Tri- closan & Copolymer Technology to improve gingival health for everyday use, as part of treat- ment and maintenance of peri- odontal health. Recommend an evidence- based toothpaste to treat and maintain your patients’ peri- odontal health. DT For further information on New Colgate® Total® Pro Gum Health toothpaste and details of its medicinal licence status, visit www.colgateprofessional.co.uk 1. Adult Dental Health Survey 2009, NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care 2. Delivering Better Oral Health- An evidence-based toolkit for pre- vention, Department of Health, 2nd edition, July 2009 Improving periodontal health in style Dr Fotinos Panagakis, Colgate Director of Clincial Research A study looking into the “Prevalence of Periodon- tis in Adults in the United States: 2009 and 2010,” evalu- ates the prevalence, severity and extent of periodontitis in the adult US population using infor- mation from the Health and Nu- trition Examination survey. Lead author Paul Eke used information from a sample of 3,742 adults 30 years and older with one or more natural teeth of the civilian non-institution- alized population. Attachment loss and probing depth were measured at six sites per tooth on all teeth (except the third molars). The study is impor- tant because it is the first na- tional probability sample that has employed a full-mouth periodontal examination pro- tocol versus previous partial mouth examinations. Of the sample presented, 47.2 per cent, representing 64.7 million adults, had peri- odontitis distributed as 8.7 per cent, 30.0 per cent and 8.5 per cent with mild, moderate and severe periodontitis respec- tively. For adults 65 years and older, 64 per cent had either moderate or severe periodon- titis. These estimates are far higher than previous national estimates. Periodontitis was highest in males, Mexican Americans, adults with less than high school education, adults below 100% Federal Poverty Levels, and current smokers. This survey has provided direct evidence for a high burden of periodontitis in the adult U.S. population, especially among adults 65 and older. This information im- plies that despite America having almost twice the number of dentists per per- son than any other country, still more needs to be done to increase oral care and dental education, partially within the less affluent areas of the country. DT Perio prevalence in US reported in study C olgate is pleased to an- nounce a global part- nership with OMRON, a worldwide leader in innova- tive sensing and control tech- nology for the manufacture of medical and home healthcare products. OMRON, based in Japan, are a leading innovator in their field, and produced the first Japanese components for X-ray machines in 1933. OMRON has continued to de- velop ground breaking home healthcare products, includ- ing innovative blood pressure monitors during the 1970s and developed the first digital thermometer in 1983. This unique partnership combines OMRON technology, with the oral care expertise of Colgate, to provide the next generation of electric tooth- brushes. Colgate will launch this new and innovative range at the British Dental Trade As- sociation Dental Showcase 4- 6th October, ExCel London. To have a chance of being amongst the first dental pro- fessionals to try this break- through technology, simply register your details at www. colgateprofessional.co.uk. Full terms and conditions are available on the website. DT Global Oral Care partnership