Posted by mattdds on May 20, 2003, at 15:42:09
In reply to Re: MVP/dental mattdds leeran, posted by Snoozy on May 20, 2003, at 0:08:28
Hey Snoozy,
Glad I could be of help! That is a tragedy about your grandmother, so sorry to hear that. I wonder if it was a problem with the general anesthesia, which would seem more likely than bacterial endocarditis. But I am just speculating.
Yes, this issue of antibiotic resistance is a big public health concern. You asked which would be a bigger risk, taking AB's and not finishing the course, or taking them from a virus. Each is problematic. I am not sure whether it can be determined which is worse, but maybe it is known by someone. But I do not know. Taking antibiotics for a bacterial infection seems particularly harmful, because the ones that survive the initial (but insufficient) barrage of antibiotics are in theory the most resistant, so one would be encouraging virulent strains to survive! Scary. Then when these survivors repopulate in a possible future infection, they may be completely resistant to the drug, and passed on to another person. We are now learning that these little bugs can pass on genes of resistance through little rings of DNA that they swap back and forth!
Unless you have an opportunistic bacterial infection secondary to a viral infection, taking antibiotics for a viral infection is bad practice as well, as I'm sure you're aware. So the old philosophy of "well, I'll take a round of penicillin...just in case it's bacterial" is very dangerous, especially from a public health standpoint. This is for the same reasons above.
During my first year of dental school, the periodontists (gum specialists) were excited about an association between periodontitis and heart disease (atherosclerosis). I remember hearing that people with periodontitis have higher levels of an inflammatory mediator called c-reactive protein (C-RP). It turns out that C-RP is being vigorously investigated as an etiologic factor in atherosclerosis and heart disease. We don't know whether the periodontitis is a direct causative factor, but there does seem to be an association.
There is also a somewhat strong association between periodontitis and low birthweight babies. Again, it is not certain whether the periodontitis is causative or if it is just another variable associated with a certain population of mothers who have low birth weight babies. For example, mothers that smoke or have poor access to healthcare (including dentistry) may also have lower birth weight babies, so they happen to have periodontitis, but it is not an etiologic factor. Does this make sense? Bottom line is that this is all interesting, but we just don't know for sure yet! Either way, it never hurts to brush, floss, and go to the dentist.
Can you send me an X-ray of the tooth in question? LOL.
Best,
Matt
poster:mattdds
thread:227225
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030520/msgs/227920.html