February 16, 1995: Vol26n17: DNA test aids research on periodontal disease

By MARY BETH SPINA
News Bureau Staff
Dental researchers at UB are being aided in the fight against
periodontal disease by DNA test results, which are more frequently
being used as evidence in criminal and paternity cases.
	Researchers are using the DNA RFLP (Restriction Fragment
Length Polymorphism) test to pinpoint certain strains of bacteria
present in the oral cavities of patients with periodontitis and some
of their family members.
	RTo more effectively treat the patient, it may be necessary to
prescribe prophylactic antibiotics for all family members who are
infected, even though they may not have periodontitis,S says Joseph
Zambon,UB professor of oral biology and periodontology.
	RThe bacteria that cause periodontal disease donUt appear to
be contagious, but they may be transmissible between people in very
close contact, such as family members,S he says.
	A UB pilot study of 15 families, reported in Compendium of
Continuing Education in Dentistry, suggests that the pathogenic
bacteria implicated in a patientUs disease should be eliminated in all
family members, using specific antibiotics on a short-term basis.
	In the study, Zambon and his colleagues used the DNA RFLP test
to identify strains of certain bacteria within the oral cavity of the
patients and their families.
	The UB team found that parents and children often share the
same kinds of periodontal pathogen.
	Several families are currently being treated with short-term
antibiotic therapy to eliminate the infection from the entire family,
as well as the patient with periodontal disease.
	 Teenagers and adults with the culprit organism are given 250
mg. of tetracycline four times a day for two to three weeks.
	Children in the household who harbor the specific organism
found in the patient receive penicillin.
	Zambon; UB clinical instructor Violet Haraszthy and
researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are
conducting a more extensive family study to verify the results of the
pilot study.