precision medicine C D A J O U R N A L , V O L 5 0 , Nº 8
C.E. Credit
Embracing Precision and Data Science in Dentistry Nam Nguyen, BS; Andrew H. Jheon, PhD, DDS; and Michael S. Reddy, DMD
abstract The National Institutes of Health (NIH) defines precision medicine (previously referred to as personalized medicine) as “an emerging approach for disease treatment and prevention that takes into account individual variability in genes, environment and lifestyle.” Advances in precision medicine presage similar progress in dentistry and will be increasingly harnessed to improve dental care. This article discusses some of the ongoing and projected developments in health information technology, clinical diagnosis frameworks, biomedicine and biotechnology and highlights their current and future applications in precision dentistry. Innovations in artificial intelligence, machine learning, high-throughput sequencing and other molecular techniques (e.g., genomics, metabolomics, pharmacogenomics and transcriptomics) may be fully incorporated into the clinic within the next few decades. Nevertheless, it is imperative to understand that while technology usage can enhance the rate at which clinical success can be achieved, it does not equate to or guarantee clinical success. As dentistry transitions toward a data-augmented model that customizes treatment options, including preventive care, precision dentistry will continue to benefit from advances in many fields to improve health care delivery and clinical outcomes. Keywords: Precision dentistry, periodontics, orthodontics, oral cancers, big data
AUTHORS Nam Nguyen, BS, is a third-year predoctoral student at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Dentistry. He is a past John C. Greene Society research fellow at the UCSF Biomaterials and Bioengineering Correlative Microscopy Core and currently conducting active research for the UCSF Program in Craniofacial Biology. Conflict of Interest Disclosure: None reported.
Andrew H. Jheon, PhD, DDS, is an orthodontist and assistant professor in the University of California, San Francisco, School of Dentistry program of orthodontics and orofacial sciences. As a clinician-scientist, he is always looking to translate knowledge from the laboratory into the clinic. Conflict of Interest Disclosure: None reported.
Michael S. Reddy, DMD, is an educator, clinician and researcher currently serving as dean and professor at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Dentistry. Conflict of Interest Disclosure: None reported.
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n the 2021 executive summary “Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges,” the National Institutes of Health (NIH) states that “although microbial infections continue to be the primary cause of the most prevalent oral diseases, profound disparities in the experience of these diseases persist and can be explained only in terms of a complex interplay among risk factors and social determinants.” Precision dentistry (also referred to as augmented or individualized dentistry) is an emerging AUGUST 2 0 2 2
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