Oral Biologists Aim to Develop Quick Saliva Test to Determine Risk of Periodontal Bone Loss; Test Would Save Time, Improve Patient Comfort, Decrease Health Costs.

AScribe Health News Service, August, 2004

Byline: University at Buffalo

BUFFALO, N.Y., Aug. 19 (AScribe Newswire) -- Going to the dentist could be considerably more pleasant for patients, less time-consuming for dentists and less costly to the health-care system in the future if a new study being undertaken by oral biologists at the University at Buffalo goes as predicted.

With the aid of a $431,000, two-year grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, UB researchers hope to identify components in saliva that will tell a dentist, using a quick chair-side test, whether a patient is at risk for future loss of bone that hold the teeth in place. A positive test would signal the need for extensive cleaning and treatment.

Periodontal bone loss is a serious...

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