Precision periodontal care: from omics discoveries to chairside diagnostics

Abstract

The interface of molecular science and technology is guiding the transformation of personalized to precision healthcare. The application of proteomics, genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics is shaping the suitability of biomarkers for disease. Prior validation of such biomarkers in large and diverse patient cohorts helps verify their clinical usability. Incorporation of molecular discoveries into routine clinical practice relies on the development of customized assays and devices that enable the rapid delivery of analytical data to the clinician, while the patient is still in session. The present perspective review addresses this topic under the prism of precision periodontal care. Selected promising research attempts to innovate technological platforms for oral diagnostics are brought forward. Focus is placed on (a) the suitability of saliva as a conveniently sampled biological specimen for assessing periodontal health, (b) proteomics as a high-throughput approach for periodontal disease biomarker identification, and (c) chairside molecular diagnostic assays as a technological funnel for transitioning from the laboratory benchtop to the clinical point-of-care.

Bridging the gap between omics research and dental practice

“…In recent years, there has been significant progress in the identification of salivary proteins through proteomics analysis. The number of identified proteins has increased from less than 20 to more than 1000 [ 31 ]. In 2018, Bostanci and colleagues succeeded in mapping the salivary proteome of a cohort with different periodontal statuses and discovered many less-known regulated human proteins by coupling mass spectrometry, label-free quantitative (LFQ)mass spectrometry proteomics, followed by selected-reaction monitoring (SRM)-targeted proteomic approaches.…”

Implementation of a predictive strategy in the diagnosis of inflammatory periodontal diseases

“…Идеология «5П» медицины смещает акценты деятельности врача на профилактику и доклиническое выявление заболеваний. Определение уровня биомаркеров или биомаркеров молекулярной визуализации в таких биосредах как кревикулярная или сулькулярная жидкость (GCF или GSF), слюна, ротовая жидкость [1,2] открывает новые перспективы для прогноза прогрессии воспалительных заболеваний пародонта и мониторинга результатов лечения. В связи с этим большое значение приобретает разработка диагностических тестов, позволяющих провести оценку начальных этапов повреждения пародонтальных тканей.…”

Dental Medicine and Engineering Unite to Transform Oral Health Innovations

“…Our efforts are generating affordable and translatable approaches, including ultra-sensitive portable technologies for pathogen detection in saliva, Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–approved nanoparticles that target biofilms in severe caries, and high-precision microrobotics for biofilm disruption and lipid nanoparticle technologies for messenger RNA (mRNA) delivery (leveraged from the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine) to treat oral cancer ( Hwang et al 2019 ; Chen et al 2021 ; Liu et al 2021 ; Babeer et al 2022 ). Discoveries related to the microbiome and host immunity are revealing relationships among systemic diseases, suggesting new, personalized treatments and individualizing oral health care ( Teles et al 2021 ; Bostanci and Belibasakis 2023 ). Cosponsored efforts are also yielding fruit; the IDEA Prize awarded to low-cost plant–chloroplast biotechnology for scalable therapeutic enzymes/protein production has created a feasible way to prevent oral SARS-CoV-2 transmission and dental plaque in a consumer-friendly chewing gum delivery system ( Singh et al 2021 ; Daniell et al 2022 ).…”