Science Is the Fuel for the Engine of Technology and Clinical Practice

Abstract

The biological, chemical, behavioral and physical sciences provide the fuel for the engine of innovation and discovery that continuously improve the quality of the human condition. Dramatic breakthroughs in computer power derived from the digital revolution, provides extraordinary computational capacity for diagnostic imaging, bioinformatics (the science of information), and numerous aspects of how we practice dentistry in the 21st century. Moreover, the biological revolution with the elucidation of the structure of DNA, celebrated its 56th anniversary in May 1, provides the body of knowledge proving itself to be catalytic for discoveries that improve patient care---diagnostics, treatments and therapeutics, and new biomaterials. Humanity's most basic and recognizable characteristics are now understood through the elucidation of our genome and proteome 2, 3 the genes and the proteins they encode. We are now beginning to utilize "personalized" genetic predisposition and so much more. These and so many more "ways of knowing" continue to fuel advances in the scientific disciplines that support our dental profession and form the basis for new diagnostic tests, affording new therapies and procedures that improve the quality of life for our patients. And we are today on the thresh hold of stem cell biology applied to regenerative medicine and dentistry. We have entered an era when engineering biological solutions to the loss of tissues and organs as a consequence of disease are now realities.

The Impact of Research on the Future of Dental Education: How Research and Innovation Shape Dental Education and the Dental Profession

“…These and many other contributions enabled dentistry to rapidly grow in the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10]…”

“…H istory teaches that a look into the past of dentistry will inform appreciation of our legacy and will enable a clearer view of future opportunities and challenges in education, research, and patient care. Fortunately, excellent resources provide many insights into the establishment of dentistry, dental education, science, oral health industries, and patient oral health care in the U.S. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Our country's discovery of the critical need for federal government support for biomedical research and public health is a narrative of advocacy, cooperation, collaborations, and coalitions. As the nation developed and enlarged following the Civil War, organized dentistry also developed and became an advocate for federally sponsored public health, scientific inquiry to improve health, and the need for an independent dental research institute.…”

“…Investments in the biological and digital revolutions of the 20 th century are providing returns in the early 21 st century and will do so into the future. 1,[8][9][10] The American Dental Association (ADA), American Dental Education Association (ADEA), American Association for Dental Research (AADR), and National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) each evolved from infancy to childhood, to adolescence, to mature and significant institutions.…”

“…13 At that time, European countries were the center for scientific discoveries in chemistry, physics, mathematics, natural history, and medicine, as well as dentistry. [8][9][10] As the New World's population of European settlers grew, increasing numbers of European immigrants with health professions credentials came to America with energy, creativity, innovations, and a sense of scientific discovery. In 1790, James Gardette, a Philadelphian dentist trained in Europe, published one of the earliest American publications on tooth decay and periodontal disease, "Remarks on the Diseases of the Teeth," in the American Museum Magazine.…”

How Research Training Will Shape the Future of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research

“…The community of dental researchers, academicians, practicing dentists, stakeholder organizations, and leaders must come together to create a new generation of scholars who are well positioned to compete for extramural funding and with the capacity to engage in a wide range of opportunities and emergent technologies. [22][23][24][25][26][27][28] There is no better time than now to protect dentistry's reputation as a knowledge-based profession and to advance and translate knowledge for the benefit of the patients we treat.…”