Diagnosing peri-implant disease using the tongue as a 24/7 detector

Abstract

Our ability of screening broad communities for clinically asymptomatic diseases critically drives population health. Sensory chewing gums are presented targeting the tongue as 24/7 detector allowing diagnosis by “anyone, anywhere, anytime”. The chewing gum contains peptide sensors consisting of a protease cleavable linker in between a bitter substance and a microparticle. Matrix metalloproteinases in the oral cavity, as upregulated in peri-implant disease, specifically target the protease cleavable linker while chewing the gum, thereby generating bitterness for detection by the tongue. The peptide sensors prove significant success in discriminating saliva collected from patients with peri-implant disease versus clinically asymptomatic volunteers. Superior outcome is demonstrated over commercially available protease-based tests in saliva. “Anyone, anywhere, anytime” diagnostics are within reach for oral inflammation. Expanding this platform technology to other diseases in the future features this diagnostic as a massive screening tool potentially maximizing impact on population health.

Peri-Implantitis Diagnosis and Prognosis Using Biomarkers in Peri-Implant Crevicular Fluid: A Narrative Review

“…A recent report presented a diagnostic chewing-gum test which could detect elevated levels of MMP-8, which was diagnostic of PI in individuals [56]. The patient would taste bitterness if MMP-8 was elevated in the oral fluids.…”

“…The patient would taste bitterness if MMP-8 was elevated in the oral fluids. To our knowledge, a randomized controlled clinical trial has not been conducted to determine if the chewing gum test is diagnostic of PI [56]. Elevated levels of MMP-8 in PICF are associated with peri-implant inflammation while low MMP-8 levels (<20 ng/mL) indicate healthy peri-implant tissues [57].…”

In Vitro Performance Testing of Medicated Chewing Gums

“…ven though chewing gums are commonly used confectionary products since decades, their application as drug delivery systems currently provokes increasing interest. Besides encapsulation of diagnostics, medicated chewing gums (MCGs) for therapeutic use can be loaded with a wide range of different active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) intended for local action in the oral cavity or for systemic action after absorption through the oral mucosa and/ or the gastrointestinal (GI) tract (1,2). The European Pharmacopoeia (Ph.…”

The Teaching of Personalized Dentistry in North American Dental Schools: Changes from 2014 to 2017

“…While there is not yet a nationwide standard for assessing competence in PM/PD for dentists, education lows from the top-down, so more faculty members need to be trained to teach PM/PD concepts. 33 Although a longer developmental process is required for genetics-based than non-genetics-based diagnostics, both types apply scientiic knowledge to elucidate the patient's oral and overall health. In contrast to NYU and the University of Michigan, which have implemented elective courses on PM/ PD, most other respondents in our survey reported, when given a list of PM/PD topics, that their schools covered certain topics in PM/PD in their curricula as part of other courses including those in periodontology, oral biology and pathology, biomedical sciences, and restorative dentistry.…”

“…A recent application of PM/PD was development of sensory chewing gums that respond to MMPs and provided proof of concept in statistically diferentiating patients with peri-implant disease from healthy volunteers, thus aiding in diagnosis of peri-implant disease. 33 Although a longer developmental process is required for genetics-based than non-genetics-based diagnostics, both types apply scientiic knowledge to elucidate the patient's oral and overall health. Both genetic-and non-genetic-based PM/PD diagnostics inluence specialty practice now and will eventually work their way into the practice of general dentistry.…”