Determinants Of The Oral Health Of Adults Entering The Third Decade Life-stage
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$201,500.00
Summary
There has been a strong investment in the oral health of Australian children and their oral health has greatly improved. However, there are a number of indications that not all the gains in child and adolescent oral health are not carried through to the next life stage, adulthood. Somewhere in the intervening years, much of the gains in oral health invested in children and adolescents are dissipated. Hence, the purpose of this proposed research is to document the nature, distribution and determi ....There has been a strong investment in the oral health of Australian children and their oral health has greatly improved. However, there are a number of indications that not all the gains in child and adolescent oral health are not carried through to the next life stage, adulthood. Somewhere in the intervening years, much of the gains in oral health invested in children and adolescents are dissipated. Hence, the purpose of this proposed research is to document the nature, distribution and determinants of oral health among South Australian 29 year olds so as to identify points of intervention to maintain Australian's improved oral health further into adulthood. The specific aims of the research are to document the oral health of a cohort of 29 year olds describe their dental life history and key proximate influences on their oral health identify significant determinants of their oral health to compare the cohort with a representative SA sample of the same age. This project will approach some 3,763 29 year old adults who participated in earlier research as 13 year olds in 1988-89. It will also compare these adults with a random sample of 557 further 29 year olds from the SA Electoral Roll. Participants will be interviewed and then dentally examined, providing a range of key outcome measures on oral health status and explanatory factors from when they were 13 years old, their dental history and circumstances as 29 year olds. The research project is expected to provide detailed documentation of the prevalence and severity of oral disease and its distribution in an adult cohort, and exploration of the dental life history and current determinants of the oral disease observed. It is anticipated that the strength of hypothesised relationships of determinants will have direct policy implications.Read moreRead less
Regulation Of Porphyromonas Gingivalis Gene Expression
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$531,696.00
Summary
Chronic periodontitis (gum disease) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the supporting tissues of the teeth associated with bacteria that results in the destruction of tooth support and can ultimately lead to tooth loss. The disease is a major public health problem with a large economic burden and has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis is recognized as the major causative pathogen in the development of chronic periodontitis. ....Chronic periodontitis (gum disease) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the supporting tissues of the teeth associated with bacteria that results in the destruction of tooth support and can ultimately lead to tooth loss. The disease is a major public health problem with a large economic burden and has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis is recognized as the major causative pathogen in the development of chronic periodontitis. This bacterium is part of subgingival dental plaque, a biofilm attached to the surface of the tooth below the gum line, and releases a range of proteins and cytotoxic agents that cause damage to the tooth's supporting tissues both directly and indirectly through the dysregulation of the host's immune response. To cause disease this bacterium must be able to grow as a biofilm and withstand the immune response of the host. Detailed knowledge of how this bacterium is able to establish and proliferate in subgingival plaque, tolerate the oxidative attack and elevated temperatures that are part of the immune response and obtain the essential micronutrient iron will provide new targets for the development of specific inhibitors that may have utility as an adjunctive therapeutic for the control of chronic periodontitis. We will use a state of the art DNA microarray analysis to determine the proteins that regulate genes associated with the virulence of this bacterium. The insights we gain from this study will have broader application for the understanding of human disease that is caused by bacteria that grow as biofilms on various surfaces of the human body.Read moreRead less
Characterization Of A Novel Secretion System Necessary For Porphyromonas Gingivalis Virulence.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$596,412.00
Summary
In this study we will characterize a novel bacterial secretion system that we have discovered. This sytem mediates the secretion of proteins from the bacterial cell and their attachment to the cell surface. This system is essential for the virulence of Porphyromonas gingivalis, a bacterium associated with chronic periodontitis. The chacterization of this system may offer opportunities for the development of new treatments to target this disease.