Atrix Laboratories Inc announced that Atridox, 8.5% doxycycline, a localized antibiotic treatment for chronic adult periodontitis, will be used as part of the periodontal treatment regimen in the first comprehensive study to investigate the link between heart disease and periodontal disease.

This study follows recently reported results showing periodontal treatment using Atridox lowered two important inflammatory markers associated with heart disease.

In a study presented at the International Association of Dental Research (IADR) meeting, periodontal treatment including Atridox has been shown to lower levels of inflammatory factors associated with atherosclerosis and other chronic diseases.

Investigators randomized 100 adults with chronic periodontitis into four groups, treating two groups with Atridox with or without scaling and root planing (SRP), and the other two groups received only SRP or oral prophylaxis (cleaning). Treatment was administered at the start of the study and 3 months later. Following treatment, the groups that received Atridox showed a short-term significant reduction in C-reactive protein and fibrinogen as well as reduction in oral bacterial levels.

"This is an important finding because it shows that Atridox, a locally delivered antibiotic therapy for periodontal disease, substantially lowered the inflammatory burden in the body," said Sara Grossi, clinical assistant professor of oral biology at SUNY at Buffalo who oversaw the study. "Because heart disease and other cardiovascular ailments appear to have an inflammatory component, this next study is designed to determine how strong a link may exist between high levels of oral bacteria and the risk for reoccurring heart attacks."

A new 3-year multicenter study, which will start in September, will enroll 875 adult patients with periodontal disease and a history of heart disease (previous myocardial infarct or 50% or more of blockage of one coronary artery). A group of these patients will receive aggressive periodontal treatment including Atridox while others will receive standard gum therapy. Patients will be monitored over a period of years to determine if treating periodontal infection will reduce the occurrence of a second heart attack or a heart event.

"Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the U.S.," said Steve Garrett, president of Atrix's dental division. "In addition to lowering inflammatory factors in the blood, Atridox has been shown to lower bacteremia (bacteria in the blood) when used as a part of periodontal therapy. If it was shown that aggressive treatment of periodontal disease, including local antibiotic therapy like Atridox, also decreased the risk of a heart attack, I think that would be an important finding for the health of this nation."

This new study is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with Robert J. Genco, at SUNY at Buffalo as the lead investigator.