Dental Asia May/June 2018

Dental Prole
Personalising
Dentistry
Interviewed and written by Dr. Chala R. Platon
Despite advances in dentistry
and dental hygiene, many
people still do not have good
periodontal health. Most
patients are not aware that
they have gum problems and some even
think bleeding gums during brushing and
flossing are normal. On the contrary, it
is actually an early sign of gum problems
which can later on lead to periodontitis
(gum diseases/periodontal disease). Read
on to find out more about periodontal
h e a l t h i n D e n t a l A s i a ’ s i n t e r v i e w w i t h
Dr. Angelo Mariotti, a periodontal specialist
and speaker at IDEM 2018.
Dr. Angelo Mariotti received his
Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology
including his Doctor of Dental Surgery from
West Virginia University. He later on obtained
his speciality training in Periodontology
from Virginia Commonwealth University.
He is currently Professor and Chair of
t h e d i v i s i o n o f P e r i o d o n t o l o g y a t
Ohio State University. Dr. Mariotti is also a
member of the Council on Scientic Aairs
for the American Dental Association, on
the Advisory Board for the Journal of
Periodontology and Clinical Advances in
Periodontics and an editor for Pharmacology
and Therapeutics for Dentistry.
Enjoying his craft
In addition to his research and teaching,
Dr. Mariotti still finds time to maintain
his private practice. This clearly shows his
passion and dedication to his work. He nds
Periodontology (periodontics) fascinating
- the disease and research process, the
therapeutic components (surgical and
non-surgical) and developing relationships
with patients throughout the course of
treatment.
Dr. Mariotti treasures these connections,
as due to the regular check-ups needed
in treating periodontal disease, he sees
patients regularly for a number of years in
order to monitor and stabilise his patient’s
condition.
“The thing that I really enjoy about my
specialty is having a research component
to explore the disease progression and
treatment options related to the disease. I
like the fact that in patient treatment I’ve
had patients in my practice for decades
that become like family to me. It’s pleasant
to see people and develop friendships and
this is the positive aspect of it all,” said
Dr. Mariotti.
Dr. Mariotti appreciates and enjoys what
he does and couldn’t imagine doing any
other specialisation besides periodontics,
which he describes as both unique and
delightful.
Making use of his expertise
A background in pharmacology has
proven useful in treating his patients.
Originally trained as a male reproductive
pharmacologist, Dr. Mariotti has extensive
knowledge on the signicant and related
effects of steroid hormones on the
periodontium and gingiva for both men and
women. In fact, Dr. Mariotti was an editor
for an issue of Periodontology 2000 in 2013
that dealt with reproductive hormones and
their eects in the periodontium.
Dr. Mariotti mentioned that there are
bone-sparing drugs (like Fosamax and
Zometa) that may cause lesions in the
oral cavity. Some patients might be taking
these medications for osteoporosis or
for some type of bone cancer in dierent
concentrations.
“Steroid hormones definitely have a
signicant eect in the oral cavity. Having
this knowledge and a pharmacology
background helps me bring to light both
the benets and risks of medications and
treatments whenever I give patient care
instructions or advice because I have a very
rm understanding of how it aects their
dental treatment,” explained Dr. Mariotti.
Promoting awareness
In the U.S. where Dr. Mariotti is based,
he admits that it is very difficult to get
patients to understand periodontal disease.
Generally speaking, periodontal disease
causes no pain at times. Often patients
discover that they have periodontal
disease already in its aggressive or
latter stages. There are certain types of
periodontal disease that cause pain like
Acute Necrotising Ulcerative Gingivitis (ANUG)
and periodontal abscess but these are not
necessarily the most common forms of
the disease. Moreover, people who have
gingivitis and chronic periodontitis even
the aggressive forms sometimes feel little
to no discomfort.
“Since some patients don’t visit
dentists and have regular check-ups, giving
32 DENTAL ASIA
MAY / JUNE 2018