Recent breakthroughs in research performed by a team of highly trained experts in the dental health field, revealed that a drug, commonly given to patients with periodontal disease, could also be used to treat osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.
The medicine, subantimicrobial-dose-doxycycline (SDD), was approved in 1998 by the FDA.
SSD is most commonly used to treat patients who are suffering from gum infections, as presented by a report that was published in the Journal of the American Dental Association.
The study was started to observe the effect of alveolar bone loss and the scope of periodontitis. The women in the study were postmenopausal and aged 45 to 70.
All of the women had osteopenia and periodontal disease as well. Osteopenia is characterized by low bone density; it is often a precursor to osteoporosis.
Periodontitis is a severe condition where your gums become irritated and inflamed as well as loose teeth, similar to gingivitis.
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Periodontitis is generally caused by infections. Although it is similar to gingivitis, it is much more severe because it affects the alveolar bone that is around the roots of the teeth.
The researches monitored the 120 women who participated in the study for gum inflammation and their bone mineral levels over a two-year period. The drug SDD is a classified as a tetracycline; previous research showed that this class of anabolic medication might have applications reaching beyond the treatment of infections.
Some researchers have proven that doxycycline can reduce inflammation with other benefits as well, as long as it is prescribed in small doses.
After the two-year study the team had concluded that the women had less inflammation along with lower levels of the molecules that advance osteoporosis.
There is also evidence that SSD has possible cardiovascular benefits after researchers discovered that good cholesterol levels had risen.
