Personalized Oral Health Care

This book provides an overview of the oral health care environment as the transition is made to a system increasingly focusing on disease prevention, early intervention to minimize disease progression, and a personalized approach that meets each individual’s needs. Descriptions are provided of an array of technologies based on rapid advances in genomic medicine and omics technology that are already entering clinical practice and promise to have a huge impact on risk assessment, diagnosis, and therapy. Detailed consideration is also paid to personalized health insurance in the new environment, the impact of personalized health care on the economics of health care, and the consequences for the global diagnostic market place and improved access to care. The changes in dental education required to produce dentists better equipped to participate in the new health care environment are examined, and the book concludes by considering key opportunities and challenges.

Peter J. Polverini, B.S., D.D.S., D.M.Sc, is current President of the American Association for Dental Research and Professor of Dentistry at University of Michigan School of Dentistry and Professor of Pathology at University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor. He graduated from the Marquette University School of Dentistry in 1973 and went on to study at Harvard University. In 1995 he was appointed Professor in the Department of Pathology, University of Michigan School of Medicine and quickly became Chair of the Department of Oral Medicine/Pathology/Surgery at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. Dr. Polverini was appointed Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota Medical School, in 2000 and moved to his present positions in 2003. From 2003 to 2013 he was also Dean of the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. Since 2009 Dr. Polverini has served as a Basic Sciences & Research Consultant on the Commission on Dental Accreditation. He is a member of the editorial boards of several journalsand he is Associate Editor of the Journal of Health Care Leadership. Dr. Polverini has received numerous awards, including most recently the Birnberg Award in dental research from the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine and a Distinguished Alumnus Award from Marquette University School of Dentistry. He is a Member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies and the author of 114 peer-reviewed journal articles.