For immediate release: August 22, 2003
For more information, contact Susan Griffith at 216-368-1004 or susan.griffith@case.edu

CLEVELAND—A super blood clot, rich in growth factors, has the potential to be a new therapy in restoring oral health to those with periodontal (gum) disease. Once implanted during surgery, the clot has the potential to spur the regeneration of lost bone, gum and connective tissues damaged by gum disease.

Jose Arauz-Dutari, principal investigator and a Case Western Reserve University assistant professor of periodontics, along with Judith Ablaza and Nabil Bissada, co-investigators on the Case dental school faculty, have begun recruiting 30 patients for a nine-month pilot clinical trial to test a super clot derived from approximately two tablespoons of a patient's blood taken before periodontal surgery.

The blood sample is separated into platelet rich plasma overly saturated with undifferentiated platelets-more than 1,000 to 10,000 times that of a normal blood clot.

According to the American Dental Association, gum disease is the number one cause of tooth loss in adults. The disease is caused by plaque build-up on the teeth that results from toxins released from bacteria. While the disease can be painless in its early stages, it eventually can cause teeth to loosen from the bone and to destroy the supporting gum tissues around the teeth, and if left untreated, tooth loss can occur.

Periodontists have looked for ways to rebuild lost bones and gums. Since the early 1980s, different materials from human donor, porcine or bovine tissues or synthetic and Teflon materials have been used, but the results vary and are not always predictable, says Arauz-Dutari.

"Platelets are known to be present in clotting and an important element in the initial phase of wound healing," he adds. Signals from cells in the damaged and diseased areas that have undergone surgery are received from the growth factors contained in the super clot in high concentration. This event will spur the undifferentiated cells, residing in the aforementioned areas to develop into the various tissue and bone necessary to repair the injured areas.

In the conventional treatment, once gum disease is diagnosed, a periodontist will remove the plaque and calculus (tartar) deposits from the teeth and its root by scaling or scrapping off the diseased areas. Surgery is sometimes needed to reach diseased areas that cannot be reached only by scaling.

After scaling the teeth, defects and pockets can remain that are more susceptible to another bacterial infection and, therefore, need periodontal surgery to gain access to the roots and correct defects produced by the disease.

In the double blind study, there is a control group treated with conventional therapy of scaling and surgery and the experimental super clot group. The Case researchers will follow patients, and through examinations and x-rays will determine the effectiveness of the super clot treatment at two weeks and at three, subsequent three-month intervals.

Some of the warning signs of periodontal disease are gums that bleed during brushing, swollen or tender gums, bad breath, loose teeth and gums that have pulled away from the teeth. Proper brushing and flossing at least twice daily, a healthy diet and regular visits to the dentist for cleanings and check-ups can prevent the disease.

Arauz-Dutari's work builds on research he published in the International Journal of Periodontics and Restorative Dentistry in 2000.

For information about the clinical trial, call 216-368-0879.

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