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Purpose

This clinical trial is studying if bacteria found in a participant's bloodstream after brushing their teeth can be prevented with a dental cleaning and more education on how to best brush and care for their teeth. One group of participants will have a dental cleaning and oral health instructions and the other group of participants will not. Researchers will compare the blood test results from the two groups to see if the education made a difference in preventing bacteria and how long it stays in the bloodstream.

Conditions

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Over 18 Years
Eligible Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Inclusion Criteria

  • Age 18 years or older. - Greater than 6 months since last dental hygiene prophylaxis (cleaning). - 10 or more accessible teeth (including implants, with a minimum of 8 natural teeth). - Willing and able to provide informed consent. - Willing to comply with all study procedures and be available for the duration of the study. - Willing to forgo routine professional dental cleanings while enrolled in the trial.

Exclusion Criteria

  • At high risk for IE, as defined by the 2007/2021 AHA Guidelines: - Prosthetic cardiac valve or prosthetic material used for cardiac valve repair. - Previous episode of IE. - Cardiac transplantation recipient with cardiac valvulopathy. - Specific congenital heart disease conditions. - Pregnant, by self-report, or planning to become pregnant during the study period. - Affected by a condition that, in the opinion of the investigator, may preclude them from study completion or put them at increased risk such as : - Hemodialysis dependent. - Have a long-term intravascular catheter (e.g., for chemotherapy or parenteral nutrition). - Active injection drug use (IDU). - Clotting disorder such as, hemophilia. - Have a solid organ transplant or hematopoietic stem cell transplant, or ongoing treatment for hematologic cancer. - Currently incarcerated. - Systemic antibiotic use within the past 2 weeks. - Undergoing orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances (brackets and wires) or plans to do so during the study period. - Taking or requiring antibiotic prophylaxis prior to dental procedures for other reasons, e.g., to prevent prosthetic joint infection . - Three or more teeth with moderate to severe gingival hyperplasia. - Has clinically detectable emergent or urgent dental needs that, in the trained and calibrated Oral Examiner's opinion, would require definitive dental care during the study period.

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Primary Purpose
Prevention
Masking
Double (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
Participants receiving a dental cleaning and oral hygiene instruction
Participants randomized to this arm will receive a standard dental cleaning and education on proper toothbrushing and flossing technique and asked to follow these toothbrushing and flossing techniques for the duration of the study period. They will receive periodic phone call reminders to maintain these practices during the study period.
  • Behavioral: Oral Hygiene instruction
    Participants will be instructed on the Modified Bass technique for toothbrushing: brushing with a soft bristled toothbrush held at a 45 degree angle to the gums and brushed in a circular motion. Participants will also be instructed to floss at least once per day using floss or another inter-dental device (e.g., floss pick).
  • Procedure: Dental Cleaning
    Participants will receive a dental cleaning according to the current standard of care for routine dental cleanings.
No Intervention
Control
Participants randomized to this arm will be instructed to continue with their usual oral hygiene practices for the duration of the study period.

Recruiting Locations

University of Michigan School of Dentistry and Michigan Medicine
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
Contact:
Mary Burton
mjburt@med.umich.edu

Atrium Health's Carolinas Medical Center
Charlotte, North Carolina 28203
Contact:
Cathleen Petersen, RDH
704-355-1494
cathleen.petersen@atriumhealth.org

More Details

NCT ID
NCT05721781
Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Study Contact

Cathy Petersen, RDH
704-355-1494
cathleen.petersen@atriumhealth.org

Detailed Description

This multi-center randomized clinical trial will determine if an intervention to improve oral hygiene and reduce gingival inflammation decreases the incidence and duration of bacteremia of Infective Endocarditis (IE) causing bacterial species, which may refocus longstanding guidelines on prevention for all people at risk for Infective Endocarditis (IE). The Standardized Brushing Hygienist will brush the participant's teeth over a 2-minute period, during and after which there will be 4 additional blood samples. The participant will then be randomized to an intervention or routine care group. The intervention will consist of a single session of tooth scaling and polishing, and oral hygiene instruction provided at the end of the Randomization Visit. Both groups will return for 3-week and 15-week visits, during which they will undergo a non-invasive oral examination and the brushing procedure with 5 blood samples (baseline and 4 additional blood samples after brushing begins). All blood samples will be cultured for bacteria of IE causing species.

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.