About this Book

This Research Topic is the second volume of the “Community Series in Unveiling Immunological Mechanisms of Periodontal Diseases”. Please see the first volume herehere.

Periodontitis, a plethora of inflammatory conditions of the periodontium (the supporting teeth structures comprising gingiva, periodontal ligament and bone), is associated with a dysbiotic biofilm and dysregulation of the host immune response. The amount and composition of dysbiotic microbial biofilm that is formed on tooth surfaces, called dental plaque, is usually directly correlated with the amount of tissue destruction. However, both genetic and environmental host factors are associated with susceptibility to periodontitis, and several risk factors have already been established. Overactivation of the immune system caused by periodontal inflammation may contribute to the worsening of systemic diseases, such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and atherosclerosis.

As a multifactorial disease, the study of periodontitis involves understanding the interaction between pathogens and host. Advances in systems biology and omics technologies allow for a better investigation of this interaction, both from the point of view of the microbial community and molecular markers for diagnosis and prognosis. In addition, modern sequencing and bioinformatics tools allow the investigation of mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of periodontitis and its relation to other diseases using human samples.