Researchers at the Case Western Reserve University School of Dentistry are testing a "super blood clot" that will potentially spur regeneration of lost bone, gum and connective tissues damaged by periodontal disease.

Jose Arauz-Dutari, principal investigator and a Case assistant professor of periodontics, along with Judith Ablaza and Nabil Bissada, co-investigators on the dental school faculty, are recruiting 30 patients for a nine-month pilot clinical trial in which a super clot derived from approximately two tablespoons of the patient's blood will be surgically implanted
into his or her diseased gums.

The blood sample, taken before periodontal surgery, is separated into platelet rich plasma overly saturated with undifferentiated platelets-more than 1,000 to 10,000 times that of a normal blood clot. Platelets, which are known to be present in clotting, are an important element in the initial phase of wound healing, according to Arauz-Dutari.

After the clot is surgically implanted, its high concentration of growth factors takes signals from diseased areas of the gums and spurs the undifferentiated cells in damaged areas to grow into the appropriate tissue or bone necessary for repair.

Arauz-Dutari said different materials from human donor, porcine or bovine tissues or synthetic and Teflon materials have been used to rebuild lost bones and gums since the early 1980s, but the results have varied and are not always predictable.

In the conventional treatment for gum disease, a periodontist will remove the plaque and calculus, or tartar, deposits from the teeth and roots by scaling or scrapping off the diseased areas. Surgery is sometimes needed in damaged areas that are not easily accessible.

Even after scaling, Arauz-Dutari said defects and pockets can remain that are more susceptible to additional bacterial infections, which typically require periodontal surgery to correct.

In their double blind study, the Case researchers will monitor a control group treated with the conventional therapy of scaling and surgery in addition to the experimental super clot group. The investigators will follow patients and, through examinations and x-rays, will determine the effectiveness of the super clot treatment at two weeks and at three, subsequent three-month intervals.

To learn more, call 368-0879.

Return to the online edition of the 8-28-03 Campus News.