Your Mother Always Said...
It’s What’s on the Inside That Counts!(Part 4 of a Series) The need for DIAGNOSTIC TESTING in the Dental Clinicians setting has been
long overdue. Thanks to the efforts of Oral DNA Labs, we now have access to two important diagnostic tests. For the last 25 years, dental professionals (general dentists, periodontist and dental hygienists) have attempted to diagnose and treat periodontal disease without tremendous success. We have utilized a model where scaling and root planing have been the standard of care with the occasional accompanying systemic or even local antibiotic prescription. This has been successful with the disruption of the plaque/biofi lm and calculus, but did nothing to identify the pathogens present in the gum , nor did it address how it was affecting the rest of the body. We also had no testing available to identify any genetic susceptibility. Cardiologists, endocrinologists, OBGYN’s, as well as other health practitioners have also struggled with assessing risk and creating effective treatment protocols for their patients due to the lack of availability of these tests.
Since the introduction in 2009 of two easily obtained, noninvasive salivary tests- PerioPathogen and Interleukin Genome Tests, thousands of analyses have been completed. These tests provide essential, diagnostic information to guide clinicians in risk assessment and treatment protocols for not only periodontal disease, but other systemic risk factors and diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis, and pre-term birth, to name a few.
Periodontitis is a serious, chronic destructive disease of the supporting structures of the teeth, including the periodontium and the supporting alveolar bone. It is generally recognized as an infl ammatory disease that is instigated by the reaction of a person’s immune system to colonization by the pathogenic bacteria found in the plaque biofi lm. These bacteria initiate a response by the immune system that set in motion a number of cellular and immune responses throughout the entire body. The resulting infl ammatory burden and its attendant tissue destruction is the hallmark of periodontal disease, and the link with the systemic connection.
HOW AND WHY DO WE TEST? The My Perio Pathogen test is a salivary diagnostic test designed by Oral DNA Labs. It is a noninvasive swish and spit test which utilizes state of the art Bacterial DNA analysis to, not only identify the 11 periodontal pathogens that are present, but also quantifi es their level in each person’s mouth (see fi gure 1). Identifi cation of the causative pathogenic bacteria for Periodontitis has also become increasingly important when we consider that P. Gingivalis has been implicated in a 13.8 (1,380%) fold increase in heart attacks and strokes. The presence of these 11 bacteria and the resulting periodontal disease have been shown to increase the chance of a low birth weight baby by 750%, a greater risk factor than smoking or alcohol. The My Perio ID test, also by Oral DNA Labs, is a test which every adult should consider taking. This vitally important test can be completed using the same salivary sample as the My PerioPathogen test. We referred to it earlier as the Interleukin Genome Test. It has been well established that the IL-1 polymorphism (Interleukin Genome) is associated with an overreaction by the body to any type of infl ammation, including periodontal disease.
This gene, which is found in about 35% of the
population, is also important in diabetics as 51% of insulin resistant diabetics also have this gene. The combination of this gene and diabetes increases the chance of mortality by 300%.
These are statistics, we in Dental Practices cannot take lightly. We must take action! Don’t Guess Test!!
FELLOW DENTAL PRACTITIONERS: If interested in learning more about these tests and procedures please contact our offi ce to speak with Dr. Rush for more information regarding Oral DNA Labs and My PerioPathogen and My Perio ID salivary sample testing.
Ahwatukee Family Dental 11022 South 51st Street, Suite 105
480.893.7674 Dr. David Rush
To learn more about My Perio Pathogen Testing visit our website, or call to make an appointment!
www.DrDavidRush.com
Fulton Ranch Dental 4909 South Alma School Road, Suite 1
480.895.7070
Sample Test Results
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