New Technique against Periodontal Disease

Dentistry is the art and science of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of medical conditions. Periodontal disease, also called as gum disease, is caused when bacteria in plaque develops between the gums and teeth. Research has shown that gum disease may be related with other diseases, for example diabetes and heart disease.

The first sign of gum disease is blood on your toothbrush or in the toothpaste you spit out after cleaning your teeth.  Your gums may also bleed when you are eating, leaving awful taste in your mouth. Your breath may become unpleasant also.

In an exciting new study, scientists have been able to combine biological and mechanical techniques to repair and regenerate bone and gum tissue. Long-standing gum disease sometime turns into periodontal disease, affecting the tissues supporting the teeth.

To treat the condition, researchers surgically implanted a thin, film-like membrane between the inflamed gum and tooth. This membrane obstructs the infection from the gums and conveys antibiotics, medication and development components to the gum tissue.

Despite the fact that researchers have developed biodegradable membranes, these materials don't tend to work as well for redeveloping periodontal tissue.

The scientists made nano-fibrous membranes of poly (ε-caprolactone), which is a biocompatible polymer already approved for medical applications. As part of the study, researchers created a membrane which was coated with a special material that has been found to speed up bone regeneration.  They then tested this against human stem cells from the gums which had been exposed to erosion for eight weeks. 

At the point when the researchers embedded the membranes into the gums of rats with periodontal defects, then bone at the defect sites regenerated to normal levels within two months.

Session on: Pediatric Denistry