Oral Biology: Molecular Techniques and Applications

It is generally recognized that the knowledge and research base that underpins dentistry lies in the biological and physical sciences. In this context, the major advances in these sciences over the past two decades have come through the application of molecular bi- ogy and nanotechnology. These advances are currently impacting on the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of human diseases and it is essential that dental research, education, and practice keep pace with this rapidly advancing ?eld. As pointed out by Ford et al. (1): The de?nition of disease is also changing. Previously, disease was understood to be the presence of symptoms or of a particular phenotype. With increasing knowledge of the genetic basis of many diseases, this de?nition is changing to become the presence of a genotype conferring a pre-disposition to clinical symptoms or phenotype (Ford et al. (1)). This changing de?nition of disease means that today’s undergraduate or graduate student in dentistry (and its related ?elds) must be in a position not only to acquire new knowledge in the future but also to be able to evaluate the information and apply it in a clinically relevant setting. This naturally positions oral biology as an integral part of any dentally related professional’s repertoire of knowledge. There are as many topics in oral biology as there are the number of sites and micro- vironments within the oral cavity.