What are biomarkers, and do we have any for periodontal diseases?
A biomarker is a substance used as an indicator of a biologic state. It may be measured and evaluated as an indicator of normal or pathogenic biologic processes, or pharmacologic responses to a therapeutic intervention. Traditional biomarkers in medicine include heart rate, blood pressure, imaging (such as mammograms or chest X-rays), and the prostate-specific screening antigen test (PSA) for prostate cancer. A traditional biomarker for periodontal disease is bleeding on probing (BOP), and it’s still viewed as the best disease predictor available today.1 Researchers report that there are many false positives associated with it, but the absence of BOP is considered a very precise negative predictor of disease activity.1 Periodontal diagnosis is based upon subjective clinical examination procedures that are time-consuming and poorly implemented by hygienists and dentists.2 Oftentimes, hygienists and dentists base a diagnosis solely on periodontal probing measurements due to time constrai
