| The Forsyth
Institute 140 The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115
Contact: Dorothy A. Allen 617 262 5200, Ext. 39 dallen@forsyth.org
FORSYTH INSTITUTE
TO HOST NUTRITION AND ORAL DISEASE WORKSHOP NOV. 5-7, BOSTON, MA
October 24, 2000--Most of us are well-aware that what we eat can profoundly affect our
health. But did you know that the tissues of the mouth play an important role?
Healthy teeth and gums allow us to
chew and swallow nutritious food, says Dominick P. DePaola, D.D.S., Ph.D., president and
CEO of The Forsyth Institute, an international scientific research center in Boston. But
just as important, healthy oral tissue can keep infections from entering the bloodstream,
thus preventing a variety of systemic diseases. Still, "while medical scientists know
a lot about how nutrition affects overall health," Dr. DePaola says, "we know
very little about how nutrition affects the mouth’s ability to protect against
disease."
To remedy that situation,
researchers, policymakers and others will gather at the first-ever Nutrition and Oral
Infectious Disease Workshop, to be held at The Forsyth Institute November 5-7, 2000.
Reporters are welcome to attend any or all of the conference.
At the workshop, sponsored by
Forsyth and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR),
world-class researchers, policymakers, and educators will assess what is known about how
nutrition affects oral health in relation to overall health— as well as the state of
research, education and training in the field.
Researchers in nutrition,
immunology, infectious disease, dental science, medicine, and public health will describe
the latest findings on such topics as:
- -Oral health, nutrition and general
health conditions such heart disease, stroke, and low birth weight
-Periodontitis or gingivitis and diabetes
- -Nutrition, infection and the elderly
- -Obesity, diabetes and gum disease
- -Ingestion of dietary calcium and its
role in osteoporosis and tooth loss
Additional speakers will
consider how oral and systemic diseases impact health care costs; the limited education in
nutrition and oral health; and the need for additional research in the area of nutrition
and oral disease. A representative from the Food and Drug Administration will discuss how
new regulations on nutritional supplements will affect health care professionals and their
patients.
DePaola points out that research of
the oral cavity is particularly valuable because it provides an easily accessible,
non-invasive approach for understanding disease and mechanisms of disease that affect the
entire body.
The Forsyth Institute is a
Boston-based research and education organization with a worldwide mission focused on
conditions of the mouth, face and head, and their effects on overall health.
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