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With the exception of blunt trauma, virtually
all of the problems that bring people to the
attention of health professionals have a genetic
component. Genetics is not just about rare disorders
anymore, and it is no longer confined to the
genetics specialist; it now affects every facet
of healthcare. Genetic factors make us susceptible
to common diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular
disease, as well as dental caries, periodontitis,
oral cancers, cleft lip/palate, and craniofacial
abnormalities.
Dentists and hygienists are the appropriate
personnel to identify many genetic "red
flags" that can lead families to appropriate
diagnoses and treatment. In fact, about 40 percent
of the diagnostic criteria for genetic conditions
listed in Smith's Recognizable Patterns of Human
Malformation (a classic reference work in genetics
and dysmorphology) involve the head and neck,
and many are limited to oral structures. As
a dentist or hygienist, you are the expert in
normal and abnormal variation in facial and
oral development, which means that you are also
the most qualified health care practitioner
to detect major and minor anomalies suggestive
of genetic contributions to disease.
The incorporation of genetic concepts into practice
is important to your patients and to your profession.
According to "The Future of Dentistry,"
published by the American Dental Association
in 2000: "The future of oral health care
and product development will require a closer
relationship among engineering materials sciences,
biology, and genetics. . . [T]he profession
must be prepared to understand the emerging
science disciplines and to apply new diagnostic
and therapeutic approaches effectively and appropriately
to patient care and community health."
Continued progress in genetics will reveal genetic
contributions to an ever-widening array of health
problems. Your patients will be hearing about
this on the news and via the internet, and you
may be called upon to answer their questions.
An understanding of basic genetics concepts
as they apply to dentistry will help you provide
better patient care and prepare you for tomorrow's
innovations, which ultimately may result in
a new set of genetic testing options, and in
molecular interventions that influence the development
of bones, periodontal tissue, salivary glands,
and teeth.
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