Leena Bahl Palomo, D.D.S and M.S.D., is the lead author on the study with Nabil Bissada, chair and professor of Case's department of periodontology; and James Liu, chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology of University Hospitals of Cleveland.
During her graduate studies at Case, Palomo conducted one of the first studies to look at the impact of a group of bisphosphonates therapies for women with moderate and mild cases of osteoporosis and periodontal disease.
The study involved 60 postmenopausal women, who had been diagnosed with osteoporosis by doctors at University Hospitals of Cleveland and who had visited the Case dental clinics. She compared the women, who had been on daily or weekly bisphosphonate for at least three months to regenerate bone mass to those on no medications for the disease. The women were between the ages of 51 and 79, had T scores on bone scans of the hip or spine of 22.5. Half the group weighed approximately 127 pounds, and the overall study participants had similar alcohol and coffee daily intakes. The study participants did not smoke or use tobacco or estrogen products or have chronic medical conditions like diabetes that would increase the risks of periodontal disease. The risedronate group reported a higher use of vitamins and calcium supplements.
Each woman received an x-ray of the teeth and jaw and an oral examination that assessed the amount of inflammation, depth of the periodontal pocket, recession of the gums, mobility of the teeth and the presence of plaque--the standard parameters for gum disease as established by the American Academy of Periodontology. The ex
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Contact: Susan Griffith
susan.griffith@case.edu
216-368-1004
Case Western Reserve University
18-Nov-2005