Colour-changing oral strip may revolutionise gum disease diagnosis.Byline: ANI Washington, Apr 11 (ANI): A simple colour-changing oral strip can help detect gum disease in a patient more quickly and easily than traditional screening methods, according to researchers at Temple University. Periodontal, or gum disease, can often result in not just tooth loss, but it has also been linked to heart disease, diabetes, blood infection, low birth-weight babies, cancer and most recently, obesity. While screening is often costly, time-consuming and sometimes painful for the patient, the new method is much quicker and easier in detecting any problem. A research team led by Ahmed Khocht, DDS (1) (Digital Data Storage) See DAT. (2) (Data Dictionary System) See QuickBuild and OpenDDS. (3) (Dataphone Digital S , associate professor of periodontology periodontology, n See periodontics. at Temple's Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry Noun 1. school of dentistry - a graduate school offering study leading to degrees in dentistry dental school grad school, graduate school - a school in a university offering study leading to degrees beyond the bachelor's degree , tried to see the strip's effectiveness in detecting periodontal disease among 73 patients. The patients were divided into three groups- healthy, those with gingivitis gingivitis (jĭn'jəvī`tĭs), inflammation of the gums. It may be acute, subacute, chronic, or recurrent. The gums usually become red, swollen, and spongy, and bleed easily. (bleeding of the gums) and those with periodontitis periodontitis Inflammation of soft tissues around the teeth (see tooth). Poor dental hygiene leads to deposition of bacterial plaque on the teeth below the gum line, irritating and eroding nearby tissues. (bleeding of the gums and a receding gum line). They scored colour reaction on the basis of a colour chart, and those scores were compared with scores from traditional clinical evaluation methods, such as plaque index, gingival index, attachment levels and bleeding on probing Bleeding on probing is a term used by dentists when referring to bleeding that is induced by gentle manipulation of the tissue at the depth of the gingival sulcus, or interface between the gingiva and a tooth. This is often accomplished with the use of a periodontal probe. . The researchers saw strong correlations between the numbers from these tests and the numbers from the oral strip, which indicated that the strips would be a comparable screening method. "The strip changes from white to yellow depending on levels of microbial sulfur compounds found in the saliva. A higher concentration of these compounds means a more serious case of gum disease, and shows up a darker shade of yellow," said Khocht. With periodontal disease considered dangerous for a person's overall health, Khocht said that it's important to have a screening method like the oral strips that are quick and easy for clinicians to use. "The faster we can find out the disease is present, the sooner we can begin. And because the strips can change color, they can also act as a benchmark to help doctors find the right treatment for their patient and monitor their progress treatment," he said. (ANI) Copyright 2009 Asian News International The Asian News International (ANI) agency provides multimedia news to China and 50 bureaus in India. It covers virtually all of South Asia since its foundation and presently claims, on its official website, to be the leading South Asia-wide news agency. (ANI) - All Rights Reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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