???With 80 percent of the country living below the poverty line, a large majority of children in the Caribbean nation of Haiti feel the constant pains of hunger, which means they may be at risk for developing periodontal disease.
???A study conducted by researchers from the University at Buffalo and New York University found that childhood malnutrition is linked to the development of periodontal disease, commonly known as gum disease, in adolescents.
???"Because early childhood protein-energy malnutrition is likely to affect the developing immune system, a person's ability to respond to colonization with periodontal may be affected permanently," said Germain Jean-Charles, a resident in maxillofacial pathology in the UB School of Dental Medicine.
???Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, has one of the highest rates of childhood malnutrition in the world, according to the study.
???Haitian children who faced malnourishment during their first five years of life had a higher mean community periodontal index (CPI) score and greater occurrence of periodontal disease in adolescence compared to the children who were not malnourished during the same period of time, according to Jean-Charles.
???Periodontitis is inflammation of the soft tissue surrounding the teeth, according to Michael G. Newman, a prominent dental researcher from University of California in Los Angeles. If the disease is allowed to progress, it can cause pockets to form around teeth, resulting in tooth loss.
???The study, funded through a grant from the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research, was conducted in Haiti during the summer of 2006. The Haitian Health Foundation, a non-governmental organization working in rural Haiti, collected malnutrition data on the participants 16 years prior to the field operation, Jean-Charles explained.
???A single dentist performed all of the periodontal examinations in several villages. All eligible children received a thorough oral and periodontal examination and the CPI was recorded to determine each one's periodontal status. The researchers took measurements of the pockets of six different teeth with varying CPI scores.
???"The scores ranged from zero - healthy tissue - to a score of four, which indicated a pathologic pocket or periodontal disease," Jean-Charles said.
???Overall, 49 percent of the participants were malnourished and 57.3 percent had a CPI score of three or greater, according to Jean-Charles.
???The study reported that participants who were malnourished during the first five years showed a higher mean CPI compared to those who were not malnourished.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
