Mostly Microbes and Infection

  The   human microbiome   is the aggregate of all   microbiota   that reside on or within   human tissues   and   biofluids   along with the corresponding   anatomical sites   in which they reside, [ 1 ] [ 2 ]   including the   gastrointestinal tract ,   skin ,   mammary glands ,   seminal fluid ,   uterus ,   ovarian follicles ,   lung ,   saliva ,   oral mucosa ,   ocular surface , and the   biliary tract . Types of   human microbiota   include   bacteria ,   archaea ,   fungi ,   protists , and   viruses . Though   micro-animals   can also live on the human body, they are typically excluded from this definition. In the context of   genomics , the term   human microbiome   is sometimes used to refer to the collective   genomes   of resident microorganisms; [ 3 ]   however, the term   human me...

  Life extension   is the concept of extending the human   lifespan , either modestly through improvements in medicine or dramatically by increasing the   maximum lifespan   beyond its generally-settled biological limit of   around 125 years . [ 1 ]   Several researchers in the area, along with "life extensionists", " immortalists ", or " longevists " (those who wish to achieve longer lives themselves), postulate that future breakthroughs in tissue   rejuvenation ,   stem cells ,   regenerative medicine ,   molecular   repair,   gene therapy , pharmaceuticals, and   organ   replacement (such as with artificial organs or   xenotransplantations ) will eventually enable humans to have indefinite lifespans through complete rejuvenation to a healthy youthful condition (agerasia [ 2 ] ). The ethical ramifications, if life extension becomes a possibility, are debated by   bioethicists .

This commentary describes the changes taking place in dentistry and speculates on improvements that could happen soon. Advances in health care will have an impact on the integration and delivery of oral care; conversely, there is growing acceptance that oral health impacts systemic health. Technological innovations are changing the face of medical care and are quickly becoming integrated into dentistry. Advances in novel antimicrobials, genomics, robotics and artificial intelligence are transforming our ability to diagnose and manage disease.  

The immune system employs a temporal hierarchy of effector mechanisms to combat infections by intracellular pathogens. The nonspecific response is independent of MHC and can be activated rapidly, while the specific response is slower, more specific, and requires major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules. MHC-dependent responses have been characterized extensively  in vitro  for antigens presented by polymorphic MHC class la and class II proteins and recognized by T lymphocytes carrying α/β T-cell receptors (TcR). Growing indirect evidence has implicated monomorphic MHC class lb proteins and γ/δ T lymphocytes in defense against bacterial infections, but the biochemical and immunological behavior of class lb proteins and γ/δ TcR has not been well characterized, and most hypotheses involving these proteins have relied on data obtained with polymorphic MHC proteins and α/β TcR. An overview of studies describing bacterial infections  in vivo  suggests that, in many...

Boswellia   trees, found throughout the Middle East and parts of Africa and Asia, are the source of frankincense oil. Since antiquity, frankincense has been traded as a precious commodity, but it has also been used for the treatment of chronic disease, inflammation, oral health, and microbial infection. More recently, the bioactive components of   Boswellia   trees have been identified and characterized for their effects on cancer, microbial infection (especially infection by oral pathogens), and inflammation. Most studies have focused on cell lines, but more recent research has also investigated effects in animal models of disease. As natural products are considered to be safer than synthetic drugs, there is growing interest in further developing the use of substances such as frankincense oil for therapeutic treatment.

The  history of dental treatments  dates back to thousands of years. [ 1 ] [ 2 ]  The scope of this article is limited to the pre-1981  history . The earliest known example of  dental caries  manipulation is found in a  Paleolithic  man, dated between 14,160 and 13,820  BP . [ 3 ]  The earliest known use of a  filling  after removal of decayed or infected  pulp  is found in a Paleolithic who lived near modern-day  Tuscany , Italy, from 13,000 to 12,740 BP. [ 4 ]  Although inconclusive, researchers have suggested that rudimentary dental procedures have been performed as far back as 130,000 years ago by  Neanderthals . [ 5 ]