Inside Scoop Trisha E. O’Hehir, RDH, BS
Editorial Director, Hygienetown Magazine

More than 2,000 research abstracts were presented in early March at the American Dental Education Association and American Association for Dental Research meeting in Orlando, Fla.

One of the topics I found most interesting was on saliva. In the very near future, in-office saliva testing will provide early detection of oral, breast, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers; Sjogren’s syndrome; diabetes; and Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists will compare salivary proteins of healthy individuals with those of disease victims and through this comparison specific signatures of disease will be identified.

In fact, the first salivary test is already being used for oral cancer. Today, the saliva is collected and mailed to a lab with results returned in 24 hours. Several studies to identify oral cancer through saliva have already been completed with a total of 350 subjects and a very high diagnostic accuracy rate of 85%. In the near future, hygienists will simply place a drop of saliva on a microchip and insert it into a hand-held device that will only take minutes to analyze the proteins and identify patterns associated with disease.

The Human Salivary Proteome Project, as it is called, should be completed in early 2007. This nanotechnology will harness proteome information to identify early disease states. As the speaker Dr. David Wong said, “The future is in your mouth, just spit!”

Projects such as the HSPP, help us see why it is important to understand the link the mouth has to the rest of the body. In this month’s Perio Reports, you’ll read about research examining how periodontal disease may actually cause heart disease. Periodontal disease is much more complex than bleeding gums and bone loss. Read about how oral bacteria and the immune response to periodontal disease may actually change blood vessel walls.

Perio Reports also broaches the subject of whether you should add antimicrobials to your ultrasonic scaler. A study published several years ago found the use of povidone iodine in the ultrasonic scaler advantageous for furcations. The most recent study doesn’t agree. See what you think, and post your opinions on the message boards on Hygienetown.com.

Not every study goes as planned. See what happened while researchers were studying what age fluoride varnish can be used.

Speaking of studies, there was a hot discussion on Hygienetown.com regarding laser treatment for periodontal disease. A resident Townie, Ralphw, shares the research studies, explains the differences between lasers, and offers his view on what clinicians can and cannot do with the lasers currently available.

Additionally, hygienists are talking about the difference between Cetacaine liquid and Oraqix as topical anesthetics for scaling and root planing. See who is using what, when and why.

Hygienetown is the magazine carrying the voice of the practicing hygienist, and we want to hear yours! Please join Hygienetown.com today, whether you’re a student, been in practice for a few years or a few decades, everyone has something to offer.