He could keep reading, but his point has been made. This is a busy place. Last fall, the lab moved from Allegheny University of the Health Sciences to the third floor of the Temple University School of Dentistry. OMTS is one of only four labs of its kind in the United States and is the newest jewel in Temple's crown. They send us samples of bacteria, and we figure out what the infecting bacteria is and how to best treat it.
Periodontal disease is a broad term for a condition that causes inflammation and bleeding gums.
In some patients, more destructive forms also cause a loss of the connective tissue and bone that attach teeth to the jaws, leading to tooth loss. The disease is caused by a variety of bacteria that grow in the mouth and below the gumline. While dentists and periodontists can usually treat the disease without assistance, periodically they come across a case that leaves them scratching their heads. But OMTS can help clinicians who have exhausted all normal treatments. According to Rams, Temple's OMTS is the second-largest, oral microbiology laboratory in the country, receiving several thousand samples per year.