Forsyth Institute Receives $20.7 to Fight Periodontal Disease

Forsyth Institute Receives $20.7 to Fight Periodontal Disease

The Forsyth Institute , the world’s leading independent, oral health research organization, has received $20.7 million to fight periodontal disease. Three related projects will study periodontal disease progression from microbiological, genetic, host immune response and clinical perspectives. This research, funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), will take place over a four-year period. The ultimate goal is to gain an understanding of why people develop gum disease, how the disease progresses, how to predict active disease before it occurs, and ultimately, how therapies can be developed to improve periodontal and overall health.

According to the Forsyth Institute, forty percent of adults in the United States have some form of periodontal disease. It is one of the most common infectious diseases and, in its more severe forms, causes loss of the bone that supports the teeth. In addition, there are strong associations between periodontal disease and systemic diseases including diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, pre-term birth, and certain cancers.

Previous work at Forsyth has demonstrated that the progression of the disease is not continuous, but is episodic. Thus, to understand its pathogenesis, patients must be studied to identify sites in the mouth that are undergoing active disease progression, which is the focus of these studies.  The Forsyth projects, respectively led by Dr. Ricardo Teles, Director of the Center for Clinical and Translational Research; Dr. Bruce Paster, Head, Department of Molecular Genetics; and Dr. Jorge Frias-Lopez, Assistant Member of Staff, Department of Molecular Genetics, will examine clinical parameters, expression of host derived molecules, bacterial ecology, and bacterial gene expression during active disease. It will also seek to identify biomarkers in blood, saliva, and gingival crevicular fluid (a fluid that oozes from the gum margin) samples from 500 individuals, both with and without existing gum disease. The data gathered by Forsyth’s scientists as well as aliquots of the samples will be made available to the scientific community and will represent the largest available information base and depository of samples for periodontal disease.

“The knowledge developed through these three linked projects will provide unique and extraordinarily valuable insights into the periodontal disease process, as well as serve as a one of a kind resource to the scientific community,” said Philip Stashenko, President and CEO of The Forsyth Institute. “This work represents the multidisciplinary epitome of periodontal disease research. We may be able to finally lay a firm foundation to understand why periodontal disease progresses. It is extremely rare for three projects to receive awards linked to one clinical trial, and this support from NIDCR is a testament to the promise of this research.”

The three projects were funded due to the strength of each projects and the overall potential impact of the collaborative research. The Forsyth team will also work with four other oral health research centers around the country. The Michigan Center for Oral Health Research is the first clinical research partner. Four additional research facilities will join the project shortly.

Bad Breath Linked to Bacteria Responsible for Ulcers, Cancer

More Than Halitosis

Bad Breath Linked to Bacteria Responsible for Ulcers, Cancer

New research from Japan has found a link between bad breath and the bacteria that causes stomach ulcers and cancer.

The study, which was published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology, revealed that the bacteria responsible for both stomach ulcers and cancer were found in the mouths of some people with halitosis.

Research has revealed that infection by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which is carried by more than 90 percent of people in the developing world and 20 to 80 percent of people in the developed world, was a possible cause of peptic ulcers and gastric cancers.

The more recent study produced by Dr Nao Suzuki from Fukuoka Dental College in Fukuoka, Japan and colleagues, suggested that the human mouth, which is home to hundreds different species of bacteria (some of which cause disease), is a possible reservoir for H. pylori, particularly in the presence of periodontal disease, a known cause of halitosis.

According to Suzuki, halitosis is common in humans and is mostly caused by gum disease, debris on the tongue and poor oral hygiene.

Suzuki and his colleagues tested patients complaining of halitosis for the presence of H. pylori, studying DNA scans of saliva taken from hundreds of citizens, many of whom had halitosis.

Of the participants 102 had periodontal disease, 16 percent of whom had H. pylori in their mouths.

These results led researchers to conclude that deep periodontal pockets and inflammation create favorable conditions for the growth of H. pylori bacteria.

This research means that patients with periodontal disease coupled with halitosis should be tested for H. pylori infection.