Periodontics and Oral Implantology
Unravelling the cause and development of periodontal and peri-implant health-disease processes
Research in the areas of Periodontology and Oral Implantology at UWA Dental School aims to unravel the aetiopathogenesis of periodontal and peri-implant health-disease processes, in order to prevent, early detect and better treat these conditions and their sequelae.
The Periodontics and Oral Implantology Research Program at UWA focuses on clinical and translational research which lead up to applicable outcomes. Benefits for patients and academic excellence in specialist training are our ultimate goals.
Research Program Lead: Associate Professor Leticia Algarves Miranda
The Program has five main broad objectives and aims to:
- Understand the mechanisms which are involved in the susceptibility to and in the tissue destruction mechanisms of periodontitis and peri implantitis; as well as the role of risk factors and their modulation on disease expression,
- Investigate the systemic impact of periodontal and peri-implant diseases in the whole body as well as their relationships and connections with other tissue-destructive chronic inflammatory diseases, specially auto-immune diseases;
- Develop and implement systemic and local biological diagnostic markers and more biological interventions for treating periodontitis, peri implantitis and their sequelae;
- Evaluation of innovative procedures and biomaterials for wound healing enhancement and regeneration.
- Use of digital solutions to improve periodontal and peri-implant conditions diagnosis, treatment planning and execution.
Projects
Projects in this area include:
- Investigation of biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of periodontal and peri-implant diseases;
- C5a in periodontitis as a potential link with rheumatoid arthritis;
- Trends in antibiotics use in Periodontics locally, nationally and internationally;
- In vitro effects of osseodensification;
- Effect of a new chlorhexidine-coated silver nanoparticle on periodontal/peri-implant pathogen and human tissue cells;
- Resorbable polymeric hydrogels doped with nilver nanoparticles and chlorhexidine as scaffold for periodontal regeneration – in vitro tests
- Microstructural morphology of alveolar bone in experimental periodontitis;
- HLA-G gene polymorphisms in chronic and aggressive periodontitis;
- T helper subsets cytokine expression in chronic and aggressive periodontitis;
- Systematic reviews on periodontology and oral implantology topics.
