Genetically modified bacteria may prevent cavities -Put us out of Business

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Once you start school you will see there is a problem. If you eliminate one bacteria you cause a rukus somewhere else. Even the bacteria that causes cavities has a benefit somewhere else in the mouth.
 
That's old news. Read that like 2 months ago. Broc is right too. Eliminate one thing and it just gives an advantage to something else. All things have there pro's and con's. We will never be out of work. I read somewhere that more dentists are retiring than are graduating D school.
 
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They've been talking about a vaccine since my dad was in dental school(the 70s) and they still havent figured out a way to kill the bacteria without those pesky side affects like brain damage or impotence. If you are under the impression that strep. mutans is solely responsible for keeping dentists in business, I think you're in for a surpise when you get to dental school. There are a great many things that dentists do which are in no way related to cavities and decay. Think of orthodontics, bruxors, impacted wisdom teeth, accidents, cosmetics, cracking teeth, etc.
 
You are pretty out of the loop if you think that filling cavities is the only thing dentists do!
 
The day when they can gengineer a bacterium so it can do oral surgery is the day I give up d-school and become a plumber. Luckily for me, I don't see myself fixing toilets any time in the forseeable future.
 
If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
 
The OP may have a valid point for sometime in the far, far distant future. Biotechnology is supposed to be the booming field in this next century that electricity, phones, t.v., computers etc. was in the last century. I doubt it will directly have any impact in any of our practices or wallets, but it will be exciting to see what changes come to the profession during the next 50 years. Anyone ever shadow an old school dentist and hear them talk about all the changes in the field during their career? This is why research interests me.
 
also, if there was such a thing it might be too expensive for many people to afford, so cavities would still need to be filled conventionally on some of the population.
 
I think sometime they'll engineer a bacteria that will do more good than bad. Some people actually dont harbor that strain of bacteria that causes caries and decay. A guy came into my uncle's practice one day while I was shadowing. He had no dental decay whatsoever, only gingivitis and some bad breath. He said he brushes every other day, and has never had a cavity. Then my uncle told me that some people dont have that particular bacteria that cause cavities. Lucky I guess...
 
Whats next.....genmod bacteria that extracts teeth? :laugh: I dont think our jobs are in jeopardy.
 
JakeMUSC said:
Whats next.....genmod bacteria that extracts teeth? :laugh: I dont think our jobs are in jeopardy.
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Hey ---

I did a big research project on this last semester on this and on how like strep mutans and other bacteria that are known form biofilms --dental plaque --- and how that bacteria can spread and cause all sorts of heart problems and other things if it travels through the blood ---especially in pregnant women!

anyway long story short what I kept finding out about that was that yes those bacteria produce some sort of toxin or something that inhibits the bacteria in our mouths that cause plaque/biofilms that eventually lead to cavities ....

But becuase we have so much bacteria in our mouth --- though yes some of it can get out of control and cause problems - a healthy number of them (when kept under control) are part of the normal flora of our mouth and if we eliminate them ---we are opening the door to a schlew of problems from opportunistic pathogens like pneumonia and upper respiratory problems just to name a couple...

anyway i think its very fascinating that the bacteria in our mouth ---which we tend to think of as a bad thing since its like the most 'contaminated' place we have --- that those bacteria are also protecting us from bacteria that cause much bigger problems when the opportunity arises...

So as far as I know --this won't be happening any time soon unless they can figure out a way to prevent the other problems that we will be susceptible to ---

there --- I am off my microbiology soapbox -- for now ;)

Megan
 
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JakeMUSC said:
Whats next.....genmod bacteria that extracts teeth? :laugh: I dont think our jobs are in jeopardy.
Click to expand...
I believe our current bacteria already extract teeth. If you dont brush or floss for so long, your tooth will become infected and die. The resulting immune response will isolate the tooth and it will come out eventually. So see, bacteria can play a major role in extracting a tooth!
 
IcemanDDS said:
I think sometime they'll engineer a bacteria that will do more good than bad. Some people actually dont harbor that strain of bacteria that causes caries and decay. A guy came into my uncle's practice one day while I was shadowing. He had no dental decay whatsoever, only gingivitis and some bad breath. He said he brushes every other day, and has never had a cavity. Then my uncle told me that some people dont have that particular bacteria that cause cavities. Lucky I guess...
Click to expand...

Oh there are already definitely bacteria that do more good than harm. Insulin production is a major use of genetically engineered bacteria among many other things.
 
I read the original paper on this, done in Feb. 2000. The research has been on going for approx 20-25 years. I have to say that the research is pretty incredible. The model was the rat and though the evidence shows that caries were reduced subst., the rat mouth is diff from the human mouth for many reasons. At the end of the paper he states that the next step would be clinical trials in humans, this was again in 2000. Five years have past and nothing has been implemented, perhaps powerful companies like Procter and Gamble may have something to do with this. Lets just say that the trials were successful and there existed this vaccine, billion dollar companies like PG and Colgate-Palmolive would be nothing without the $8 push button toothbrushes. So I think a lot of hidden red tape exists, but what is interesting is that the study was funded by the Dental Research Institute, a pretty credible research center. Just like advancements in newer fuel technologies are hindered by oil lobbying and automotive execs., so may this vaccine that would revolutionize dentistry. Will dental schools change their cirruculums from restorative to preventitive? Hmm....
 
DrTacoElf said:
Oh there are already definitely bacteria that do more good than harm. Insulin production is a major use of genetically engineered bacteria among many other things.
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Yea, but I was referring to the particular fauna in the mouth..
 
For those interested, you can do a search and find MANY similar threads to this one (not that this one isn't good!). Try searching in the Dental forum. It seems as though we have at least one thread on this topic every couple of months.
 
In regards to this topic: research has been ongoing for 20+ years, but I don't see anything ever coming of it that will do much for our profession.

Think of it this way: our patients have a difficult time brushing their teeth. Many patients are completely non-compliant in regards to oral hygiene (brushing, flossing, etc.). We KNOW that these are means whereby to preserve tooth stucture and prevent future problems, but people (dental students included!) still don't take these measures.

Second, who would pay for such a vaccine? Many communities have difficulty getting students vaccinated prior to entering school, so you can add this to the list of things that parents will protest.
 
If someone has a particular question about this technology, let me know. As I said in the Dental forum thread, I have spoken to the creator himself several times about it.

If your question is will it put dentists "out of business", there is no way to know, but I am leaning toward NO for the forseeable future. Hence, I am in dental school.
 
i dont think that dentistry is such a fragile career that will get put away for a theory or study of such kind
 
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