BREAKING NEWS: Hip & knee joint failures may be caused by oral bacteria, reports Danbury Dentist

A recent small study examined the presence of bacterial DNA in synovial fluids of native or clinically aseptically failed prosthetic joints from patients having periodontal disease and arthritis to determine whether there is bacterial spread from the oral cavity to the joints. There were 36 subjects enrolled in the study, and among these, 11 were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 25 were diagnosed with osteoarthritis (OA).  Eight patients with OA and 1 patient with RA had failed prostheses. Synovial fluid was aspirated from the affected hip or knee joint. Pooled subgingival plaque samples were collected, followed by clinical periodontal examination. Bacterial DNA was extracted from the collected synovial fluid and dental plaque samples were followed by polymerase chain reactions and DNA sequence analysis of the 16S-23S rRNA genes.

Of the 36 patients, bacterial DNA was detected in the synovial fluid samples from 5 patients (13.9%): 2 with RA (1 native and 1 failed prosthetic joints) and 3 with OA (1 native and 2 failed prosthetic joints). Of these 5 patients, 2 were diagnosed with periodontitis and had identical bacterial clones (Fusobacterium nucleatum and Serratia proteamaculans, respectively) detected in both the synovial fluid and the dental plaque samples. Fusobacterium nucleatum was the most prevalent, detected in 4 of the 5 positive samples.

The present findings of bacterial DNA in the synovial fluid suggest the possibility of organisms translocating from the periodontal tissue to the synovium.

Jay M. Marks, DMD a general dentist in Danbury, CT suggests that if you have  arthritis or failed prosthetic joints, you should be examined for periodontal diseases and seek treatment, or have an examination to find out if you have periodontal disease in order to prevent the above problems!

 By Maria P Goldie, RDH, MS