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Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

A new mobile diagnostic platform is designed to speed up identification of the eleven most relevant perio- dontitis pathogens considerably. Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI in Leipzig have collaborated with two compa- nies, BECIT GmbH and ERT- Optik, to develop a lab-on-a- chip module called ParoChip. In future this will allow dentists and medical labs to prepare samples quickly and then ana- lyse the bacteria. All the steps in the process - the duplication of DNA sequences and their de- tection - take place directly on the platform, which consists of a disk-shaped microfluidic card that is around six centimetres in diameter. “Until now, analysis took around four to six hours. With ParoChip it takes less than 30 minutes. This means it’s pos- sible to analyse a large number of samples in a short amount of time,” says Dr. Dirk Kuhlmeier, a scientist at the IZI. Samples are taken using sterile, toothpick-shaped paper points, after which the bacte- ria are removed from the point and their isolated DNA injected into reaction chambers contain- ing dried reagents. There are eleven such chambers on each card, each featuring the reagent for one of the eleven periodon- tal pathogens. The total number of bacteria is determined in an additional chamber, via poly- merase chain reaction (PCR). This method allows millions of copies of even tiny numbers of pathogen DNA sequences to be made. In order to generate the ex- tremely quick changes in tem- perature that are required for PCR, the disk-shaped plastic chip is attached to a metal heat- ing block with three tempera- ture zones and mechanically turned so it passes over these zones. This causes a fluorescent signal to be generated that is measured by a connected opti- cal measuring device featuring a fluorescence probe, a photo detector and a laser diode. The signal makes it possible not only to quantify each type of bacterium and thus determine the severity of the inflamma- tion, but also to establish the total number of all the bacteria combined. DT Periodontitis pathogens now detected in 30 minutes Samples are taken using paper points A ccording to an article published in the Janu- ary/February 2013 is- sue of General Dentistry, the peer-reviewed clinical jour- nal of the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), obesity may be a risk factor for gum dis- ease. “We know that being over- weight can affect many as- pects of a person’s health,” says Charlene Krejci, DDS, MSD, lead author of the article. “Now researchers suspect a link ex- ists between obesity and gum disease. Obese individuals’ bodies relentlessly produce cytokines, proteins with in- flammatory properties. These cytokines may directly injure the gum tissues or reduce blood flow to the gum tissues, thus promoting the develop- ment of gum disease.” Research on the relation- ship between obesity and gum disease is still on-going. “Whether one condition is a risk factor for another or whether one disease di- rectly causes another has yet to be discovered,” says AGD Spokesperson Samer G. Sha- moon, DDS, MAGD. “What we do know is that it’s important to visit a dentist at least twice a year so he or she can evaluate your risks for developing gum disease and offer preventive strategies.” The best way to minimise the risk of developing gum disease is to remove plaque through daily brushing, floss- ing, rinsing, and professional cleanings. “A dentist can design a per- sonalised program of home oral care to meet each pa- tient’s specific needs,” says Dr. Shamoon. DT Obesity can lead to gum disease Perio Tribune Perio-endo lesion Dilemma unfolded Oral health in old age Howard Thomas discusses the importance of oral health Probiotics Dr Rahul Kale discusses ‘bacte- riotherapy’ for oral health Perio Tribune Perio TribunePerio TribunePerio Tribune Euro Perio 7 Peter Galgut reviews the show pages 13-14 pages 15-17 pages 17-18 pages 20-22 Perio Tribune Periodontitis linked with diabetes Greater risk of gum disease page 12