Epigenetics and oral disease

Molecular, genomic and mutational landscape of oral leukoplakia

“…This up‐to‐date review explores the contemporary genomic, transcriptomic and mutational landscape of leukoplakia in an effort to bring about their translational potential and clinical applicability in precision medicine (Figure 1). It intentionally does not cover aspects related to microRNA, long non‐coding RNA or epigenetics (reviewed in [El‐Sakka, Kujan, & Farah, 2018; Farah, Shearston, Nguyen, & Kujan, 2019; Fox, Tiwari, & Farah, 2020; Pentenero, Bowers, Jayasinghe, Cheong, et al, 2019; Pentenero, Bowers, Jayasinghe, Yap, et al, 2019]). This paper is deliberate, however, in its discussion of concepts that may not be widely recognised or accepted and purposefully highlights studies with juxtaposed findings in an effort to challenge dogma (Table 1).…”

Pain-sensorimotor interactions: New perspectives and a new model

“…Consistent with features noted above for the human spinal sensorimotor system, experimental or clinical pain studies have documented some limited evidence that genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors can influence pain and pain-sensorimotor interactions in the craniofacial sensorimotor system of humans ( Cairns et al, 2001 , Cairns et al, 2003 , Svensson et al, 2003 , Svensson et al, 2003 , Cairns et al, 2003 , Smith et al, 2011 , Slade et al, 2015 , Fillingim, 2017 , Fox et al, 2020 , Sessle, 2021 ). These include influences contributing to sex differences as well as to the variability between individuals in the effects that pain has on sensorimotor behavior ( Ohrbach et al, 2011 , Bhaskaracharya et al, 2015 , Shimada et al, 2015 , Amhamed et al, 2016 , Maulina et al, 2018 , Amhamed et al, 2019 ).…”

“…Strain differences in volumetric changes documented in sensorimotor and other CNS areas following tooth extraction ( Avivi-Arber et al, 2017 ) implicate genetic factors in the inter-individual variability in dental pain or responses to other orofacial manipulations. There is also some limited evidence that epigenetic factors are involved in craniofacial nociceptive processes ( Danaher et al, 2018 , Bai et al, 2020 , Fox et al, 2020 , Sessle, 2021 , Sessle, 2023 ) and may contribute to the sex and inter-individual variability in pain and pain-related sensorimotor behavior. And like the spinal sensorimotor system, epigenetic processes may have a vital role in linking gene expression changes to environmental influences in the craniofacial sensorimotor system since many of the same environmental factors outlined above in animal models in the spinal sensorimotor system may also play a role in modifying measures of pain experience and pain-sensorimotor behavior as well as contributing to the sex and inter-individual variability in animal models of craniofacial pain ( Sessle, 2021 ).…”

“…sex differences for single nucleotide polymorphisms of the catechol-O-methyltransferase ( COMT ) gene (encoding an enzyme that metabolizes catecholamines), or of the gene (OPRM1) encoding the μ-opioid receptor in some acute craniofacial pain phenotypes ( Fillingim, 2017 , Nascimento et al, 2019 , Lim et al, 2021 ). There is also evidence of genetically based variability between individuals in trigeminal nociceptive and modulatory pathways in TMD and some trigeminal neuropathic pain conditions ( Smith et al, 2011 , Meloto et al, 2014 , Zorina-Lichtenwalter et al, 2016 , Fox et al, 2020 , Lim et al, 2021 ) and variability between different TMD patients in COMT gene encoding that can also contribute to the variable effects that psychosocial risk factors (i.e. stress) have on the development of TMD ( Slade et al, 2015 ).…”

“…As in the spinal sensorimotor system, the sex differences and the inter-individual variability in the craniofacial sensorimotor system in relation to pain appear to involve not just genetic factors but a specific mix of genetic, epigenetic, and allied environmental factors in an individual’s sensorimotor system ( Maixner et al, 2011 , Meloto et al, 2014 , Chichorro et al, 2017 , Fillingim, 2017 , Fox et al, 2020 , Mogil, 2020 , Sessle, 2021 ). While there are currently very limited human data on epigenetic and environmental influences on nociceptive sensorimotor processing and behavioral responses to pain in the craniofacial sensorimotor system, many of the observations made above concerning these influences in the spinal sensorimotor system likely also apply to craniofacial pain and sensorimotor responses ( Meloto et al, 2014 , Sessle, 2021 ).…”