Advances in Dental Research, Vol 3, 42-57, Copyright © 1989 by International & American Associations for Dental Research
Splice of life: toward understanding genetic determinants of oral diseases
H. C. Slavkin
The introduction of recombinant DNA technology has led to a rapid
advancement of our knowledge of genes and genomic structure. Such
technology, applied to the human genome, has provided valuable information
concerning the nature and possible treatment of inherited disorders
throughout the human life span. A number of oral diseases can be attacked
by use of molecular biological techniques in conjunction with genetic
linkage analysis. It will be possible to identify carriers of inherited
diseases, to utilize prenatal and antenatal diagnosis when appropriate, and
to pursue studies on the mode of inheritance of specific oral diseases.
Present and projected advances in this dimension of dental research provide
the knowledge and strategies for approaching and solving a number of major
problems as we continue to pave the way for improvements in the diagnosis,
treatment, and prevention of many oral and craniofacial diseases. This
position paper examines a few of the promising areas and suggests future
goals toward establishing a knowledge of the genetic determinants for oral
diseases.
