Virulent gum disease in Appalachia

MORGANTOWN, W.Va., Sept. 8 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they are surprised by the virulence of gum disease organisms found in Appalachian residents.

The researchers found periodontal disease in 80 percent of adults in four towns studied. Among the residents with periodontis in the two West Virginia towns and two Pennsylvania towns, 85 percent had suffered bone loss.

The study of 445 families -- a collaboration between West Virginia University in Morgantown and the University of Pittsburgh -- also discovered high bacterial counts and "a surprising degree of virulence," Dr. Richard Crout of West Virginia University School of Dentistry said.

"Leaving periodontal disease untreated is a major public health problem," Crout said in a statement.

The inflammation can not only cause tooth and bone loss but may travel throughout the body. A person with periodontitis may be twice as likely to have a heart attack and almost three times more likely to have a stroke, Crout said.

The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Periodontology in Seattle.