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Inside Dentistry
October 2010
Volume 6, Issue 9

From the Editor

Gerard Kugel, DMD, MS, PhD

Dear Readers,
This month, Inside Dentistry explores the background and history of salivary diagnostics, uncovering what makes this accessible body fluid a viable diagnostic medium. Through the emergence of new diagnostic tools and technologies based on the constituent parts of saliva, experts in the field provide us with a look at what's available to clinicians now, as well as what the future may hold. Providing enhancements and even possible changes in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases ranging from those in the oral cavity to those with a broader systematic reach, saliva may prove to be the final frontier for early detection of an array of medical conditions.

Elevated Role/Elevated Care. Salivary diagnostics provide an opportunity for dentists to take a more proactive role in screening their patients for disease, both oral and otherwise, and provide targeted care. Communication between dentists and other medical professionals will be necessary to explore the relationships of oral health to general health and vice versa. Dentists and other oral healthcare professionals also must become more of a diagnostician, using laboratory results in combination with their visual and clinical skills, to assess patients' overall health. As dentists typically see their patients more than general physicians, earlier identification of systematic diseases can be provided in the dental office, enabling appropriate referrals and subsequent treatment before diseases have time to progress.

More Research is Needed. Although salivary diagnostics have come a long way, more research is needed from a technological and implementation standpoint. Questions surround not only the willingness of our profession to screen for oral and systemic diseases, but also the manner in which markers associated with systemic and oral-to-systematic conditions are linked to saliva.

Putting it into Practice. Oral diseases for which salivary diagnostics are already being researched and applied are dental caries, periodontal disease, and oral cancers. Other salivary diagnostic tools currently used test for HIV and give instant results, resolving the issue of follow-up appointments and patient no-shows. With multiple grants from organizations such as the NIDCR, technologies for analyzing DNA in saliva have now come to be reliable and practical enough to be used in the clinical laboratory.

We hope that you enjoy this issue and find that it enlightens your understanding of salivary diagnostics and what the future may hold for dental professionals. As I emphasize each month, your thoughts, opinions, and reactions continue to motive us to improve our clinical content and coverage of topics affecting our profession. Please send us your feedback to letters@insidedentistry.net. Thank you for reading and for your continued support.

Gerard Kugel, DMD, MS, PhD

Associate Dean for Research
Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
Boston, MA gkugel@aegiscomm.com

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