title: Genetic testing considerations for oral medicine.
abstract: The availability and integration of genetic information into our understanding of normal and abnormal growth and development are driving important changes in health care. These changes have fostered the hope that the availability of genetic information will promote a better understanding of disease etiology and permit early, even pre-symptomatic diagnosis and preventative intervention to avoid disease onset. Expectations for this proactive health care approach are fueled by the technological and scientific advances that have fundamentally changed how we perceive human diseases. Among the clinical applications of this information, genetic testing applications are likely to expand significantly and may broadly impact the clinical practice of dentistry. In this changing environment, it is vital that dental care providers, policymakers, and consumers become aware of important issues related to genetic testing and the incorporation of genetic information into the diagnosis and treatment of common diseases that involve the oral cavity. We must also guard against unrealistic expectations and calls for genetic tests that are not valid. To realize the promise of this new molecular genetics, we must understand the possibilities and responsibly incorporate newly emergent technologies into the evolving discipline of dentistry. This paper overviews many of the important issues that need to be considered in the application of genetic testing to oral medicine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Biology and Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, School of Dental Medicine, 614 Salk Hall, 3501 Terrace Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15090, USA. hart@sdmgenetics.pitt.edu
authors.forename: Thomas C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Hart
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Ferrell
mesh_terms: D026683:Advisory Committees; D032921:Consensus; D003815:Dentists; D018740:Genetic Heterogeneity; D005821:Genetic Techniques / Q000145:classification / Q000941:ethics; D005820:Genetic Testing; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000235:genetics; D005826:Genetics, Medical; D015894:Genome, Human; D005838:Genotype; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D008967:Molecular Biology; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000235:genetics; D009316:National Institutes of Health (U.S.); D019242:Oral Medicine; D010358:Patient Participation; D010641:Phenotype; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011322:Primary Prevention; D011634:Public Health; D013672:Technology; D014481:United States