New treatment for back gently gums: no pain, more profit

Tufts Dental researchers three years to monitor, study, that the consideration of the stability of a potential treatment for gum and found that complete root coverage - the objective of the operation - has been maintained . This application of the regeneration of tissues, developed at Tufts, reduces pain and recovery time of surgical rubber. The case study of six patients was released in July 2009 of the Journal of Periodontology.

"Patients have a less invasive option for the treatment of gums, and we now have proof of the stability of this relatively painless procedure. Instead of practice with engravings in the roof of the mouth, the patient remains with a small bandage on the arm, the can be deleted in an hour, "said Terrence Griffin, DMD, Associate Professor, Chairman, Department of Periodontology, and Director of post Periodontology at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston.

"One of our previous studies, all post-operative bleeding, and most post-operative pain in the context of the gum on the roof of the mouth for use as a graft," he added.

Traditional rubber grafting surgery requires the activation of tissue from the roof of the mouth (palate) to replace the loss of the gums around the teeth. Unfortunately, the removal of tissue from the roof of the mouth of recovery time and is a major source of complaints from patients or pain. According to the American Academy of Periodontology, periodontitis is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults aged 35 and older. Disease rubber recession, even the gingival recession, which lead to the disintegration Zahnfußspannung and tooth loss.

The new application of the regeneration of tissues used platelet factor Tufts focus on a gel of collagen membrane instead of the tissue on the roof of the mouth. The graft is soaked in patient platelets, blood, the same visit. Zahnfußspannung on the withdrawal of the surgical graft is then secured.

To check, three years the effectiveness of treatment, measures were six patients in rubber recession at baseline, 6 and 36 months after the operation. Over six months, 24 of 37 teeth, six patients had complete root coverage (65%). At 36 months, 21 of 37 teeth, six patients had complete root coverage (57%). The authors say that the recession three years was minimal, and results are comparable to the traditional rubber surgery.

"Our previous surveys found that pain and complaints have been the traditional obstacles to surgery of rubber. We also showed that this treatment before recession rubber for a good coverage of the dental root, aesthetics, better than traditional rubber stoppers surgery, patients and improve satisfaction with the results, "said co-author Wai Cheung, DMD, MS, assistant professor in the Department of Periodontology at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine.

Over the past ten years, Griffin and his colleagues, including Cheung, alternatives to the traditional rubber stopper and surgery, more than 20 publications on the subject.

"Gum-disease affects most U.S. adults and research on other diseases lie health problems, including heart disease. Promotion of patients to surgery to correct gums gently return can be difficult because the mere thought of this practice, often with pain. This treatment, with little cost to the patient, is more time and technically difficult for us, but the result - improved aesthetics, reduce pain, and, what is most important is to improve oral health for patients - it is a valuable and important alternative, "said Griffin