The Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine (SBU) is leading a multicenter clinical trial to evaluate whether treatment of chronic periodontitis will help improve diabetes control.
Sponsored by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Diabetes and Periodontal Therapy Trial (DPTT) monitors blood sugar levels of those with type 2 diabetes after they undergo periodontal therapy. The trial is the first of its kind in the U.S., according to the university.
"We hope the results of this clinical trial will support the research that clearly shows an association between chronic periodontitis and type 2 diabetes and evidence that treating periodontal infection and inflammation can improve glycemic control," said Steven Engebretson, DMD, principal investigator for the trial and assistant professor of periodontics and implantology at SBU, in a press release.
In 2008, Dr. Engebretson and colleagues within the School of Dental Medicine and School of Medicine received a $12.5 million, five-year grant from the NIH to develop the format and research plan for the trial. In 2011, a supplemental NIH grant is providing an additional $1.4 million. This two-year grant supplement will be used to further develop a clinical site for ongoing recruitment of study participants through May 2012, the school said.
Participants for the trial must be 35 years old and have type 2 diabetes and gum disease. Those who are eligible receive, at no cost, a dental cleaning by a hygienist and a professional evaluation by a dentist; six to eight office visits, including periodontal treatment (scaling and root planing) for six months; oral hygiene products and diabetic counseling; and compensation for time and travel.
The entire trial will span 30 months and include four clinical sites. Stony Brook is the coordinating clinical center, and the other clinical sites are the University of Alabama in Birmingham, the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
The shared goal of the four clinical centers is to recruit a total of 600 adults who also have untreated moderate to severe chronic periodontitis. Subjects will be recruited from the diabetes clinics, dental clinics, and communities near each center.
Dr. Engebretson believes the study results have the potential to provide a scientific basis for improving the standard of care for patients with diabetes.
