Mothers kissing their babies may not be as beneficial to babies as previously thought.
A LSU School of Dentistry study seeks to find ways to prevent cavities in children, not by improving the child’s oral hygiene, but by improving the mother’s oral health.
“The fact is that mothers kiss their babies and they pass bacteria [from their mouths]” said Dr. Paul Fidel, associate dean for research at the school. “This bacteria causes cavities in children.”
The study will examine 250 mothers and their children every six months over a two year period. Fidel said those mothers will receive anti-bacterial mouthwash or anti-bacterial gum, both products or neither to study how these products affect the child’s dental care.
“If the mother can take something to reduce the bacteria in their mouths, they can reduce or prevent cavities,” Fidel said.
This particular study is one of four Fidel supervises under the general project titled “Mentoring Oral Health Research in Louisiana.” The project is part of a $10.7 million grant the school received from the National Institutes of Health in 2004 and runs though July of 2009. To date, it is the largest grant the school has received.
The other three studies examine the correlation between the aging process and the prevalence of gingivitis, the occurrence of oral warts in HIV patients undergoing retroviral therapy and a new way to fill cavities with a fluoride resin designed to protect the surrounding teeth from additional cavities.
Fidel said the purpose of these studies is twofold. While the studies aim to make breakthroughs in oral health care, they also provide an opportunity to train junior researchers.
“The basic premise [of the project], on a global scale, is the means to develop more junior faculty into independent researchers,” he said.
But because of extensive hurricane-related damage to the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, especially to the School of Dentistry, these projects have hit a major road block.
“We’re almost back to square zero at this point,” Fidel said. “The problem is that three of the four projects are clinically based. We were about a year in and we had started to enroll patients [into the projects].”
The problem with clinically based studies, Fidel said, is they rely on relationships with patients and local dental practitioners. With many of those people from New Orleans spread across the state and country, the project has to rebuild from scratch.
The School of Dentistry is rebuilding its infrastructure in Baton Rouge, ensuring the school’s presence in the city for a long time to come.
“It’s a challenge, but everybody is working to re-establish their projects in the next six months,” Fidel said.