22AAP-FCE10: The Winners Circle

Speakers: Kevin M. Byrd, Jessica M. Latimer, Lorenzo Tavelli

Investigations in the science of periodontology inform the next generation of clinical decisions and laboratory exploration. Promising findings in research explorations in turn help inspire innovations for clinical applications. This course will highlight some of the recent award-winning investigations, providing a sneak peek into future directions for discovery and development.

Interproximal Open Contacts at Implant Sites: A Risk-Indicator for Peri-implant Disease
Peri-implant diseases are a common complication of dental implant therapy that can diminish long-term success and patient satisfaction with treatment. As part of a multifactorial etiology of peri-implant disease, prosthetic factors may contribute to the development of peri-implant mucositis and peri-implantitis. This presentation will review the role of open interproximal contacts as a risk indicator for peri-implant disease, as well as clinical considerations for dental providers and patients.

Rules and Regulations: Revealing the Systems-Level Motifs of Periodontal Health and Disease Using Spatial Multiomics
The human oral cavity can be divided into distinct niches that function as unique biological systems. Among these, the periodontal niche is one of the most complex in the oral cavity; recent work suggests at least 75 cell types comprise this space in advanced periodontal disease. Using new ‘omics technologies, we can now provide a systems-level understanding of the cells and molecules that comprise the periodontal niche along the paradigm of health to disease that will facilitate a more complete understanding of the periodontal niche during tissue destruction, ushering in a new era of precision periodontal medicine considering age, sex, and ancestry.

High-frequency Ultrasound Imaging and Soft Tissue Grafting
This lecture will describe the application of novel high-frequency ultrasound in evaluating the wound healing and the surgical outcomes following soft tissue grafting around teeth and dental implants. This non-ionizing, real-time technology allows also to visualize tissue perfusion at different stages of healing and can also be used in the diagnosis of peri-implant health and disease

Educational Objectives:
• Appreciate the etiology and prevalence of interproximal contact loss at implant sites.
• Appreciate the potential of interproximal open contacts to contribute to peri-implant disease.
• Describe treatment strategies to minimize the risk of interproximal contact loss,
• Gain a spatially-resolved, cell-specific understanding of the periodontal niche in health and disease.
• Reveal molecular targets that may be useful in future efforts toward precision periodontal medicine.
• Illustrate the properties of high-frequency ultrasound.
• Show how to assess the periodontal and peri-implant structures in a non-invasive manner.
• Learn the advantages of high-frequency ultrasound for soft tissue grafting around teeth and dental implants.