The Big PicturePersonalized health care in dentistry
Section snippets
Background
Personalized medicine tailors care to the patient's unique genetic, environmental, and clinical profile. The human genome sequencing accomplished in 2003 combined with breakthroughs in regenerative medicine, imaging methods, and computer applications have produced the possibility of delivering clinical care that takes advantage of new molecular tools to fit treatment more exactly to the patient's genomic and molecular characteristics. Most oral, dental, and craniofacial diseases and disorders
Current State of Applications
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) presents complex gene alterations that can modify regulatory signals in cells, accelerate cell growth, and produce tumors. With better understanding of the biological characteristics of head and neck cancer, treatments can be customized and outcomes optimized. Tumor classification schemes can be refined, with greater emphasis on signaling pathways that can be targeted precisely. Molecular techniques are helping to determine which lesions are likely
Dental Practice Applications
The required research infrastructure is in place and early advances could benefit dentistry soon. Progress will be facilitated by the identification of barriers to implementation. Among these barriers are skepticism on the part of providers and payers concerning the added value of genomics in improving patient care. Little evidence supports the clinical usefulness of personalized medicine approaches currently. In addition, genomic and proteomic profiles must be integrated into clinical and
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Garcia I, Ruska R, Somerman MJ: Expanding the foundation for personalized medicine: Implications and challenges for dentistry. J Dent Res 92:S3-S10, 2013
Reprints available from MJ Somerman, Natl Inst of Dental & Craniofacial Research, Natl Insts of Health, Bldg 31, Rm 2C39, 31 Center Dr, MSC 2290, Bethesda, MD 20892-2290; e-mail: [email protected]