Gene therapy is an emerging field of biomedicine that has gained significant attention in dentistry too. Various research programs are being carried out to understand the cellular and molecular bases of every disease. Since most of the conventional therapeutic approaches are not so satisfactory in treating a disease completely, currently there is an increasing focus on gene therapy to treat a wide variety of inherited and acquired diseases. This new era of gene therapy can be accomplished in the medicine field primarily to replace or cure defective genes and treat a wide variety of gene disorders, whether the disease is due to single or multiple defective genes. It has a variety of applications in the field of dentistry like salivary gland disorders, autoimmune conditions, potentially malignant disorders, etc. The sites, such as minor salivary glands present in the labial and buccal mucosa and also mucosal keratinocytes are potential targets for gene therapy, since these structures are superficial and offer minimal hindrance to the gene therapy procedure. The present article discusses the basic principles of gene therapy, its applications in the field of dentistry, limitations, and disadvantages.

Gupta P, Thakur J. Gene Therapy as a Management Tool in Dentistry. Int J Adv Integ Med Sci 2017;2(3):149-154.