Dentists and Prosthodontics Annual Meeting

There is a chicken and egg question in oral health: Which is the cause of oral disease, the inflammatory response of the host (us) to the insult (invading pathogens, chemicals and treatments), or the pathogens, chemicals and treatments themselves? We know that different people have different inflammatory responses to the same pathogens and chemicals, and we know that systemic diseases, such as adult diabetes, may heighten the inflammatory response to insult. In this presentation, we consider the insult and inflammatory response of certain disease conditions: osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ), lichen planus, and mucositis related to head and neck cancer radiation treatment. So, is it the host’s inflammatory response that is a trigger to disease? And is it the host’s inability to contain microbial overgrowth in the oral microbiome that is a trigger to disease? In short, have we met the enemy, and is it us? Proper home oral care and regular professional visits can overcome our own inability to fully resist disease. Requirements for effective home oral care are reviewed in light of emerging research on sources on insult and inflammatory response.