Senior Member of the Staff
Department of Molecular Genetics
Associate Professor, Department of Oral Medicine Infection and Immunity,
Harvard School of Dental Medicine
email:
University of London, UK, B.D.S., 1968, Dentistry
Royal College of Surgeons, UK, L.D.S, 1967, Dentistry
The Forsyth Institute, Certificate, 1975, Microbiology
University of London, UK, Ph.D., 1981, Dental Microbiology
In adults, most teeth are lost because of gum disease, or periodontitis. Furthermore, periodontal diseases have been associated with extra-oral clinical infections, including increased risk of premature and underweight babies. Children with high sugar diets are at increased risk for tooth decay. Unsightly teeth may lead to low esteem, affecting children's social development. Severe early childhood caries can be the underlying cause for poor general health, loss of school days due to dental pain and abscesses, and other significant issues. Dental caries and periodontitis are infections caused by bacteria. The Tanner group's goal is to learn which bacteria must be controlled in order to treat and prevent dental infections.
Several bacteria have been associated with moderate to advanced periodontitis including Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia and certain oral-spirochetes. Our previous studies indicated that these species, as well as Campylobacter rectus, Selenomonas noxia, and Prevotella intermedia were associated with early stages of periodontitis. A recent study on a larger population examined the microbiota using direct PCR and sequenced probes to cultivated and uncultivated species. Findings confirm the associations of Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella forsythia with initial periodontitis. Furthermore, other cultiviable and uncultivated species were detected in initial periodontitis that have been associated with more advanced periodontitis. Knowledge of risk markers and/or factors involved in initial periodontitis, and an appropriate diagnostic sampling protocol will be invaluable for identifying individuals at risk for periodontitis, as well as for developing effective interventions.
We are currently examining the subgingival, vaginal and cervical microbiota of pregnant women at high risk for preterm birth, in collaboration with investigators at New York University School of Dentistry. In this study we seek to detect periodontal species from all sample sites, and major clinical pathogens from the vaginal and cervical samples, expanding the range of species being analyzed beyond those of the oral cavity. Initial data indicates the presence of periodontal species in the cervical and vaginal microbiota, suggesting that periodontal species could be important in extra-oral clinical infections.
Two periodontal bacteria have been named for Dr. Tanner: Prevotella tannerae (Lillian Moore and co-workers, 1994), and Tannerella forsythia (Sakamoto and co-workers, 2002) for the reclassified Bacteroides forsythus.
One important question is at what stage do caries-associated and periodontal pathogens become established in the mouth? Knowing when pathogenic species colonize would help us in designing early intervention strategies. Our previous studies detected periodontal species and the caries-associated streptococcus species S. mutans and S. sobrinus, in young children and their adult caregivers. The data suggested that the tongue might be transiently colonized before teeth, in the evolution of the oral microbiota. Novel findings included identifying species in predentate infants that had previously been detected only in much older children or adults. Associations between species detected in children and their primary caregiver suggest that the entire oral biofilm may transfer and implant in young children.
Currently we are comparing the oral bacteria in children with dental caries with caries-free children in the local Boston population. These studies are supported in part by the NIDCR-funded Northeast Center to Reduce Oral Health Disparities in children, a program that complements Forsyth's initiative in children's health. In these studies we combine molecular microbiology methods to detect new and uncultivated species, with behavioral science to better understand the etiology and risk factors for severe caries in children. Populations studied include children attending pediatric well-child visits and those undergoing extensive restorative care under general anesthesia. A collaboration with Boston Children's Hospital expands studies to populations with special needs, particularly children with Down Syndrome.
Fimple JL, Fontana CR, Foschi F, Ruggiero K, Song X, Pagonis TC, Tanner AC, Kent R, Doukas AG, Stashenko PP, Soukos NS. (2008) Photodynamic treatment of endodontic polymicrobial infection in vitro. J. Endod. 34(6):728-34.
Tanner ACR, Izard J. 2006. Tannerella forsythia, a periodontal pathogen entering the genomic era. Periodontol. 2000 42 (1) :88–113.
Tanner ACR, Paster BJ, Lu SC, Kanasi E, Kent R, Van Dyke T, Sonis ST. 2006. Subgingival and tongue microbiota of adults with early periodontitis. J. Dent. Res. 85(4) :318–323.
Tanner ACR, Kent RL Jr, Van Dyke T, Sonis ST, Murray LA. 2005. Clinical and other risk indicators for early periodontitis in adults. J. Periodontol. 76(4):573–581.
Tanner ACR, Izard J. 2005. Etiology of oral disease in view of microbial complexity. Oral Biosci. Med. 2(2/3):209–213.
Downes J, Sutchliffe I, Tanner ACR, Wade WG. 2005. Prevotella marshii sp. nov. and Prevotella baroniae sp. nov., isolated from the human oral cavity. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 55(Pt. 4):1551 –1 555.
Hughes CV, Mmalki G, Loo CY, Tanner AC, Ganeshkumar N. 2003. Cloning and expression of -D-glucosidase and N-acetyl-b-glucosaminidase from the periodontal pathogen, Tannerella forsythensis (Bacteroides forsythus). Oral Micorbiol. Immunol. 18(5) :309–312.
Tanner AC, Milgrom PM, Kent R, Mokeem SA, Page RC, Liao SI, Riedy CA, Bruss JB. 2002. Similarity of the oral microbiota of pre-school children with that of their caregivers in a population-based study. Oral Microbiol. Immunol. 1 7(6):379–387.
Tanner AC, Milgrom PM, Kent R Jr, Mokeem SA, Page RC, Riedy CA, Weistein P, Bruss J. 2002. The microbiota of young children from tooth and tongue samples. J. Dent. Res. 81 (1):53–57.
Yang EY, Tanner AC, Milgrom P, Mokeem SA, Riedy CA, Spadafora AT, Page RC, Bruss J. 2002. Periodontal pathogen detection in gingival/tooth and tongue flora samples from 18- to 48-monthold children and periodontal status of their mothers. Oral Microbiol. Immunol. 17(1):55–59.
Tanner ACR, Kent RL Jr, Maiden MFJ, Macuch PJ, Taubman MA. 2000. Serum IgG reactivity to subgingival bacteria in initial periodontitis, gingivitis, and healthy subjects. J. Clin. Periodontol. 27(7):473– 480.
Macuch PJ, Tanner ACR. 2000. Campylobacter in health, gingivitis and periodontitis. J. Dent. Res. 79(2):785– 792.
Milgrom P, Reidy CA, Weinstein P, Tanner ACR, Manibusan L, Bruss J. 2000. Dental caries and its relationship. to bacterial infection, hypoplasia, diet, and oral hygiene in 6–36 month old children. Community Dent. Oral Epidemiol. 28(4):295–306.
Lee KH, Tanner ACR, Maiden MFJ, Weber HP. 1999. Pre- and post-implantation microbiota of the tongue, teeth and newly-placed implants J. Clin. Periodontol. 26(1 2) :822–832.
Charles Shulin Lu, B.S., M.S.
Jennifer M. Jolivet, B.A., M.A.
Janet Hwang
Moonyoung Lee
J'Nelle Leslie
Jay Theva
Eleni Kanasi, D.D.S., M.S.E.P.I.D
Eleftheria Papadopoulou, D.D.S.
Mohammad Dahlan, D.D.S.
Cassia Rubira, D.D.S.
Rebecca Montgomery, D.D.S.
Benita Demirez, D.D.S.
