DNA Tests at the Dentist’s Office

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted May 4, 2007 in DNA Testing

DNA testing has moved into the dentist’s chair. Hain Lifescience sells two dental diagnostic tests for periodontitis that Dr. Afshin Azimi is offering to his patients in Las Vegas.

• micro-IDent that analyzes the DNA of five peridontal pathogens - $150
• GenoType PST that tests for human IL-1A -889, IL-1B +3953, and IL-1RN +2018 polymorphisms of the interleukin-1 gene cluster, which are associated with risk of gum disease - $130

So here’s my question - Does Dr. Azimi treat his patients differently depending on the results of the DNA tests? Perhaps he’s got some special dental products that are made for people and their bacteria with such-and-such genetic make-up? My cynical side tells me that those willing to spring the money for micro-IDent and GenoType PST are susceptible to more than just periodontal disease.

By the way, here’s a short video on gum disease. It is strangely frightening!

Tags: periodontitis, gum disease, dentist, teeth, genetics, genes, dna tests, genome, genomics, diseases, illness, health, medicine

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