Keep Your Teeth and Bones Strong

Ivanhoe Broadcast News
Wednesday, January 31, 2007; 4:15 AM

CLEVELAND (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Periodontal disease is a chronic bacterial infection that affects the gums and bone supporting the teeth. Fixing the problem may require painful dental surgery. But now, a drug used to treat another condition may offer help.

Evelyn Stapler works with weights to regain strength after knee surgery. Osteoporosis has made her bones fragile, and she wants to prevent more from breaking. "I couldn't walk," she says. "I sat most of the time. I couldn't do the things I wanted to do."

Stapler and other women like her take risedronate, a drug that helps prevent bone loss. Now, a new study shows it could also help your teeth.

"The effect of periodontal disease is if the bony socket that holds your tooth in place gets eaten up by the disease, so your teeth are basically surrounded by no bone. They get loose and wiggly, and they fall out," Leena Palomo, DDS, an assistant professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine in Cleveland, tells Ivanhoe.

Dr. Palomo studied 60 postmenopausal women. X-rays showed those who took risedronate had less bone loss around the teeth.

Hanka Brown has gingivitis -- she's at risk for periodontal disease. This drug could one day help women like her. "I think it's important because you want to keep your teeth, as many as possible, as long as possible," she says.

"If risedronate can help you maintain that bone, then it really helps the disease," Dr. Palomo says -- an extra bonus for women hoping to beat two health problems with just one treatment.

Side effects of the drugs may include a bone disease called osteonecrosis, but more research is needed to clarify the association. Right now, risedronate is only approved for patients with osteoporosis.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Leena Palomo, DDS, MSD
Diplomate, American Board of Periodontology
Department of Periodontology
Case School of Dental Medicine
Cleveland, OH
(216) 368-6300