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Aimee-

My 3yr old daughter was diagnosed with CD on Dec 10, 1998.  Her
pediatric GI and her nutritionist have both told us (my wife and
I) that oats are OK and do not contain gluten. I am no expert but
I have cited two research papers that make oats look safe.

There is a research paper on the topic titled

  `Absence of oats toxicity in adult coeliac disease'

at

   http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/313/7068/1300

Here are the final 3 paragraphs:

  This study shows the safety of adding oats to the gluten-free diet
  of 10 patients with coeliac disease. Seven of the patients have
  continued to take the same quantity of oats for more than 12 months
  without adverse effect. These findings are in agreement with a
  recently published study.2 In that study, however, the authors
  stated that they excluded coeliac patients with "severe" disease.
  No such policy was adopted in our study, and two of our patients
  were subsequently shown to be exquisitely sensitive when given a
  gluten micro-challenge. A third patient was also shown to be very
  sensitive to trace quantities of gluten taken inadvertently.

  Activation of the immune system by cereal protein is likely to be
  centrally involved in the pathogenesis of coeliac disease,3 and
  evidence of immunological stimulation is a sensitive marker of
  disease activation. Such evidence includes lymphocyte infiltration
  of the surface epithelium4 and the production of antibodies to
  endomysium and gliadin. Oats challenge caused no change in these
  parameters whereas in the patients given a gluten microchallenge,
  abnormalities were observed.

  Our results suggest that oats cereal is neither toxic nor immunogenic
  in coeliac disease. This has important implications for the coeliac
  population since the inclusion of oats would substantially improve
  the fibre and nutrient content of their gluten-free diet.5 The
  knowledge that oats are not toxic may help to define the toxic
  moiety in other cereals.

The paper cited above cites a 1995 paper titled

  `A comparison of diets with and without oats in adults with celiac disease.'

at

  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?db=m&form=6&uid=7675045&Dopt=r

This paper says:

  BACKGROUND. Wheat, rye, and barley damage the small-intestinal
  mucosa of patients with celiac disease; maize and rice are harmless.
  The effects of a diet containing oats are uncertain.

  METHODS. In a randomized trial, we compared the effects of gluten-free
  diets without oats and with oats (with a goal of 50 to 70 g per
  day from three sources: two types of wheat-starch flour mixed with
  an equal amount of oats, muesli containing 60 percent oats, and
  rolled-oat breakfast cereal). Fifty-two adults with celiac disease
  in remission were followed for 6 months and 40 with newly diagnosed
  disease for 12 months. Endoscopy with duodenal biopsy was performed
  at the beginning and end of the study.

  RESULTS. The mean (+/- SD) oat intake in the oat group was 49.9
  +/- 14.7 g per day at 6 months for patients in remission and 46.6
  +/- 13.3 g per day at 12 months for patients with newly diagnosed
  disease. The oat and control groups did not differ significantly
  in nutritional status, symptoms, or laboratory measures. Patients
  in remission, regardless of diet, did not have worsening architecture
  of the duodenal villi or increased mononuclear-cell infiltration.
  All the patients with new diagnoses were in remission at one year,
  except for one in the control group. Six patients in the oat groups
  and five in the control group withdrew from the study.

  CONCLUSIONS. Moderate amounts of oats can be included in a gluten-free
  diet for most adult patients with celiac disease without adverse
  effects.

Quentin Fennessy
(father of a 3yr old daughter with CD)