Science / Medicine : Prime Gum Disease Suspect Found

A close cousin of the bacterium that causes syphilis has been found in people with gum disease and might be a cause of this common dental problem, researchers said last week.

Dentist George R. Riviere and his colleagues at the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland reported in the New England Journal of Medicine that they found evidence of this still unidentified germ in the mouths of people with ordinary periodontitis--an inflammation of the tissue that supports the teeth--as well as in victims of gum ulcers known as trench mouth. While they are still unsure whether this is the true culprit in gum disease, they say the microbe should be a prime suspect.

Dental researchers have long believed that bacteria play a key role in gum disease, which eventually can lead to tooth loss. But even though the plaque that builds up on teeth is full of bacteria, no one has ever been able to clearly link any of them with the cause of the disease.

Identifying the responsible bacterium would help dentists figure out how to treat the ailment better. They could, for example, kill the bacteria with an antibiotic.