Researchers from the U.S. hope that a new classification system for periodontal disease could lead to earlier detection and more individualized treatment of severe periodontitis. (Photo: Nikita G. Sidorov/Shutterstock)

2014-3-27 | News Americas

NEW YORK, USA: Conventionally, periodontal disease is classified as either chronic or aggressive based on clinical signs and symptoms. However, this method lacks an unequivocal, pathobiology-based foundation. Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have thus developed a new system for classifying periodontal disease based on the genetic signature of affected tissue.

In a study involving 120 male and female nonsmokers aged 11–76 with periodontitis, the researchers found that molecular profiling of gingival tissue could form a basis for the development of an alternative classification for periodontitis, explained Dr. Panos N. Papapanou, study author and professor of dental medicine at Columbia University in the City of New York. 

Analyzing genome expressions in the gingival tissue taken from the study participants, the researchers observed that patients fell into two distinct clusters. "However, the clusters did not align with the current classification of chronic and aggressive periodontitis," Papapanou said. According to the study, patients in the second cluster showed a more extensive form of the disease. They were mostly male, matching with the well-established observation that severe periodontitis is more common in men than in women.

The researchers believe that a new system based on genetic analysis could offer significant advantages for classifying patients. "If a patient is found to be highly susceptible to severe periodontitis, we would be justified in using aggressive therapies, although this person may have subclinical disease," Papapanou said. "Today, we basically don't know whether a periodontal infection is truly aggressive until severe, irreversible damage has occurred," he added. 

In the near future, the researchers plan to conduct a prospective study to validate the new classification system's ability to predict disease outcomes. 

The study, titled "Gingival Tissue Transcriptomes Identify Distinct Periodontitis Phenotypes," was published online on March 19 in the Journal of Dental Research ahead of print.