Research on Oral Diseases and Its Impact on Dental Education and Practice

¹ National Institute of Dental Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892

In recent years advances in dental research have marked the integration of dental science into the mainstream of biomedical research, with dental investigators employing the same cell and molecular biology techniques that have revolutionized the biosciences. Examples include the isolation and cloning of genes essential to the development of teeth and bones, discoveries of numerous extracellular factors that guide the growth and differentiation of cells and aid in tissue repair and regeneration, the development of a technique for producing human monoclonal antibodies, and the use of recombinant DNA techniques to generate mutant forms of oral bacteria. At the same time, dental research continues to make strides in more traditional pursuits. Thus, we are seeing continued advances in dental diagnostics, in the generation of new materials and methods for restorations and replacements of natural teeth, and an increase in approaches aimed at preventing or reversing the major dental diseases: dental caries and the periodontal diseases. Recent epidemiological studies highlight the gains that have been made in the oral health status of Americans and are helping shape the research agenda of the National Institute of Dental Research in the years ahead. Greater emphasis will be put on the oral health problems of adults and older Americans and those of any age who are at high risk for oral problems. Advances in research, evident in changing patterns of disease, have become the major force for change in dental education and practice. Future practitioners will need a broader intellectual preparation that will enable them to diagnose and treat a wide range of oral tissue conditions. Many dental schools are showing their willingness and ability to rise to the challenge of changing demands, assuring a promising future for the "new dentistry".

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