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Genetic Research at The Panama Dental Center |
Scientists say they have discovered a series of genetic mutations, that are linked to dental abnormalities such as cleft palate. That’s why we here at The Panama Dental Center continue to monitor recent research and the future role genetics and genomics will play in oral health and modern dentistry.
Of course dentists have long recognized that many dental problems are genetic. Some patients have physical malformations resulting from a hereditary condition such as osteogenesis imperfecta with dentinogenesis imperfecta known to most as cleft lip and cleft palate. Dental practitioners commonly encounter hereditary conditions associated with abnormal tooth formation or periodontal disease. Other patients may have oral complications resulting from undiagnosed health problems that genetic factors cause such as adult-onset diabetes. The connections between periodontitis and coronary heart disease has been known for years, but a genetic link between the conditions hadn't been confirmed, until researchers found that the two diseases share a genetic variant on chromosome number nine.
A study at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine analyzed genetic material from over 500 people, whose families contain at least two siblings with cleft lip or palate. They compared these results with those from 100 individuals, who were chosen to represent the general population, and found more than a dozen gene mutations, that appear to be significantly associated with cleft lip and palate. Cleft palate affects one in every 700 to 1,000 children born with
surprisingly high incidents in Asian, Latino, or Native American populations.
Focus is now being directed towards the particular genes that result in clefts, so that doctors can screen for that risk in individual families and develop gene therapies to target them. Genetics is not just about rare disorders anymore, it increasingly affects every facet of health care - including dental practice. Dentists will soon able to recognize hereditary components, that cause many oral pathologies. As advances in genomics are understood, we at The Panama Dental
Center strive to understand and integrate genetic information into our daily work .
Genetic tests of the future will include the measurement of other patient characteristics that influence dental care, such as response to medications. This emerging discipline is as known pharmacogenomics. Generally effective therapies provide certain individuals insufficient relief from orofacial pain. The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research currently supports pain research into inherited individual differences to pharmacological and behavioral. Assessment of pain response at the molecular level may provide improved options for future pain management, which is an example of harmacogenomics being used to individualize patient care. A commitment to ongoing genetics education is needed to develop and utilize new developments in personalized pain intervention a program we heartily adhere to at The Panama Dental Center.
Exciting new genetic technology will bring many opportunities as well as challenges to dental science, and dentistry must be ready to capitalize on these emerging opportunities. We at The Panama Dental Center are committed dental professionals, who are committed to genetics education for our entire staff. So call Panama Dental Center today for any dental question you may have.
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