Presenter: Thomas Van Dyke, DDS, PhD

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Recent studies have suggested that periodontal disease are inflammatory diseases initiated by bacterial biofilm; infectious inflammatory diseases. Further, dysbiosis of the oral microbiome is a result of inflammation and that dysbiosis further amplifies the inflammatory cascade. This distinction implies that it is the host response to the biofilm that destroys the periodontium in the pathogenesis of the disease. This paradigm shift has broad implications for the prevention and treatment of periodontitis. As our understanding of pathways of inflammation has matured, a better understanding of the molecular basis of resolution of inflammation, which is distinct from pharmacologic anti-inflammation, has emerged. Resolution of inflammation is an active; receptor agonist mediated well-orchestrated return of tissue homeostasis, not inhibition of proinflammatory pathways. The isolation and characterization of endogenous lipid mediators of resolution, called lipoxins and resolvins, has open new doorways for the management of periodontitis including periodontal regeneration. This course will review resolution of inflammation in the context of periodontal disease and clarify the role of bacteria in periodontitis and explore therapeutic targets.