Salivary and serum inflammatory biomarkers during periodontitis progression and after treatment.

AIM: To identify serum- and salivary-derived inflammatory biomarkers of periodontitis progression and determine their response to non-surgical treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Periodontally healthy (H; n = 113) and periodontitis patients (P; n = 302) were monitored bi-monthly for 1 year without therapy. Periodontitis patients were re-examined 6 months after non-surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT). Participants were classified according to disease progression: P0 (no sites progressed; P1: 1-2 sites progressed; P2: 3 or more sites progressed). Ten salivary and five serum biomarkers were measured using Luminex. Log-transformed levels were compared over time according to baseline diagnosis, progression trajectory and after NSPT. Significant differences were sought using linear mixed models. RESULTS: P2 presented higher levels (p < .05) of salivary IFNγ, IL-6, VEGF, IL-1ß, MMP-8, IL-10 and OPG over time. Serum analytes were not associated with progression. NSPT led to clinical improvement and significant reduction of IFNγ, IL-6, IL-8, IL-1ß, MMP-8, IL-10, OPG and MMP-9 in saliva and of CRP, MMP-8, MMP-9 and MPO in serum. CONCLUSIONS: Periodontitis progression results from a sustained pro-inflammatory milieu that is reflected in salivary biomarkers, but less so in serum, likely because of the limited amount of progression per patient. NSPT can significantly decrease the levels of several salivary analytes.

Are Simulators Paving a New Way for Continuing Education?

Simulated learning has been practiced for decades and was a key element in remote learning during the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Continuing healthcare education courses for clinicians have incorporated surgical simulators to enable relief from the time constraints encountered in the operating room and provide a more relaxed environment in which to practice complex surgical procedures. Educational research studies show that the implementation of such applications in pedagogy have improved knowledge retention, increased clinician confidence, provided easier access to educational materials, and reduced levels of anxiety about learning. This review highlights the benefits and limitations of surgical simulators. Based on the evidence and current trends, simulated learning signifies a fundamental shift in higher education that is transforming healthcare academic institutions and offering significant potential for continuing dental education.

Integrating digital scholarship in dental education: Why, what, and how?

The aim of this perspective paper is to highlight the potential role and value digital scholarship can have in dental education. The use of digital scholarship and alternative metrics for academic assessment, promotion, and tenure is growing rapidly among healthcare scholars and can complement traditional frameworks. The US dental academic institutions might consider expanding the scope of their promotion and tenure guidelines from reliance on publications and grants to a greater appreciation of the impact of the scholar's work in the digital sphere by integrating newer citation indices and altmetrics.