Library / English Dictionary

    PERIODONTITIS

    Pronunciation (US): Play  (GB): Play

     I. (noun) 

    Sense 1

    Meaning:

    A disease that attacks the gum and bone and around the teethplay

    Synonyms:

    periodontal disease; periodontitis

    Classified under:

    Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

    Hypernyms ("periodontitis" is a kind of...):

    disease (an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning)

    Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "periodontitis"):

    pyorrhea; pyorrhea alveolaris; pyorrhoea; Riggs' disease (chronic periodontitis; purulent inflammation of the teeth sockets)

    alveolar resorption (wasting of the bony socket)

    gingivitis (inflammation of the gums)

    ulatrophia (recession of the gums)

    Credits

     Context examples: 

    K. oralis is normally found in small numbers in the oral cavity; periodontitis and gingivitis may correlate with increases in numbers of this species in the gingiva.

    (Kingella oralis, NCI Thesaurus)

    C. upsaliensis is a pathogen associated with gastroenteritis, acute watery diarrhea, septicemia, abscesses, inflammatory bowel disease, periodontitis and bacteremia in normal hosts and in those with opportunistic infections in immunocompromised individuals or HIV infected patients.

    (Campylobacter upsaliensis, NCI Thesaurus)

    In those affected, bacteria trigger inflammation of the tissues that surround the teeth, which can lead to loss of bone and teeth in an advanced stage of the disease called periodontitis.

    (Researchers identify immune culprits linked to inflammation and bone loss in gum disease, National Institutes of Health)

    Untreated gingivitis can lead to periodontitis.

    (Gum Disease, NIH: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research)

    They found that eliminating oral microbes prevented expansion of Th17 cells in the gums of mice with periodontitis while leaving other immune cells unaffected, suggesting an unhealthy bacterial population triggers Th17 cell accumulation.

    (Researchers identify immune culprits linked to inflammation and bone loss in gum disease, National Institutes of Health)

    When the scientists genetically engineered mice to lack Th17 cells, or gave the animals a small-molecule drug that prevents Th17 cell development, they saw similar outcomes: reduced bone loss from periodontitis.

    (Researchers identify immune culprits linked to inflammation and bone loss in gum disease, National Institutes of Health)

    RNA analysis showed the Th17-blocking drug led to reduced expression of genes involved in inflammation, tissue destruction, and bone loss, suggesting that Th17 cells may mediate these processes in periodontitis.

    (Researchers identify immune culprits linked to inflammation and bone loss in gum disease, National Institutes of Health)

    The scientists found that similar to humans, more Th17 cells accumulated in the gums of mice with periodontitis compared to healthy mice, which served as a control group.

    (Researchers identify immune culprits linked to inflammation and bone loss in gum disease, National Institutes of Health)

    The research from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) and the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, Philadelphia, observed that T helper (Th) 17 cells were much more prevalent in the gum tissue of humans with periodontitis than in the gums of their healthy counterparts, and that the amount of Th17 cells correlated with disease severity.

    (Researchers identify immune culprits linked to inflammation and bone loss in gum disease, National Institutes of Health)


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