About the Lecture:
Title: "Dentistry: The Front Door to Precision Medicine."
"Saliva Omics, Exosomes, and Liquid Biopsy Transforming Oral-Systemic Healthcare."
Friday, September 11, at 2:40 PM on the Main Stage
Summary:
The relationship between oral health and systemic health is increasingly recognized as a critical component of modern healthcare. Concurrently, advances in molecular diagnostics have established saliva as a highly informative biofluid capable of reflecting both local oral conditions and systemic disease processes. Emerging technologies in saliva omics, exosome analysis, and liquid biopsy are providing unprecedented opportunities to identify disease-associated biomarkers in a noninvasive and patient-friendly manner.
This presentation will review the scientific foundations underlying saliva-based diagnostics, including the biological origins of salivary nucleic acids, proteins, metabolites, microbiome components, and extracellular vesicles. Particular emphasis will be placed on salivary exosomes and circulating molecular biomarkers that serve as indicators of disease activity throughout the body.
Clinical examples will be presented demonstrating the application of saliva liquid biopsy for cancer detection, autoimmune disorders, and other systemic conditions. The lecture will discuss recent translational advances, emerging clinical validation studies, and ongoing efforts to integrate salivary diagnostics into routine healthcare practice.
Participants will gain an understanding of how saliva-based technologies may support earlier disease detection, risk assessment, personalized treatment strategies, and longitudinal patient monitoring. The session will also examine challenges related to standardization, regulatory considerations, and clinical implementation.
As healthcare increasingly moves toward precision medicine, saliva diagnostics offers a unique opportunity for dental professionals to play a central role in identifying and monitoring systemic disease. This presentation highlights how dentistry may serve as an important entry point for precision healthcare through the use of saliva-based molecular diagnostics.
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Identify the major components of saliva omics, including genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic, microbiomic, and exosomal biomarkers.
- Describe the biological mechanisms through which saliva reflects both oral and systemic disease processes.
- Evaluate current clinical applications of saliva liquid biopsy for cancer detection and systemic disease monitoring.
- Analyze the opportunities and limitations associated with implementing saliva-based diagnostics in clinical practice.
- Apply principles of precision health and oral-systemic medicine to future saliva diagnostic technologies.
Practical Applications:
Participants will be able to:
- Incorporate emerging knowledge of saliva biomarkers into patient education and discussions regarding oral-systemic health.
- Recognize clinical scenarios where saliva-based diagnostic technologies may support risk assessment, disease detection, and monitoring.
- Evaluate future opportunities for integrating salivary diagnostics into dental and interdisciplinary healthcare practices.
Method: Lecture
Cost: Included in the Annual Session 2026 ticket
Location: New Orleans, LA
AGD Course Code: 730 – Oral Medicine, Oral Diagnosis, Oral Pathology
AAOSH Core Curriculum: Periodontal Disease & Biofilm Diseases of the Mouth
Credit Hours: 1