Periodontitis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Periodontitis, including details on treatment, causes, gingivitis, symptoms.

Vaccination against periodontitis: the saga continues.

Sharma DC, Prasad SB, Karthikeyan BV

Department of Periodontics, KGF College of Dental Sciences, Kolar Gold Fields, Karnataka, India. dileepsharmacg@rediffmail.com

Periodontal disease can be considered to be one of the most common chronic inflammatory diseases inflicting humans. With the advent of advanced molecular diagnostic techniques, a better understanding of the role of specific pathogens and the contributory role of the host immune response in the initiation and progression of periodontal disease has been possible - although not completely. However, successful vaccine development that fully utilizes the current level of understanding has not yet occurred for human use. This paper reviews various in vitro, animal studies and human trials undertaken to develop a vaccine against periodontal disease, with emphases on the shortfalls of these efforts and future prospects of developing a successful vaccine against periodontal disease.

Published 2 August 2007 in Expert Rev Vaccines, 6(4): 579-90.
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