A new study from Penn Dental Medicine demonstrates the potential usefulness of saliva tests for tracking periodontitis.
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Measuring levels of key proteins in patients’ saliva may be a relatively easy way for dentists and even patients to track the progression of gum disease (periodontitis), suggests a new study led by Flavia Teles, an associate professor at Penn’s School of Dental Medicine.
In the study, published in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, the researchers found that on average, patients who experienced progression of periodontitis showed substantially more elevated levels of nine inflammation-related signaling proteins in saliva when compared to those who did not.
“One can imagine a saliva test kit, based on such findings, that dentists could use and even periodontitis patients could use at home—it could be a very useful personalized-dentistry tool for assessing risk and tailoring care delivery,” says Teles.
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