Gene therapy in periodontics: a review

The term gene therapy originally referred to the treatment of a disease by means of genetic manipulation. It involves the transfer of a therapeutic or working gene copy into specific cells of an individual in order to repair a faulty gene copy. Thus, it may be used to replace a faulty gene, or to introduce a new gene whose function is to cure or to favourably modify the clinical course of a condition. With the better understanding of the disease progression and new advancement in biological science, gene therapy has emerged to enhance existing therapy and has radically recast approaches to the management of periodontal diseases. Since the advent of gene therapy in dentistry, significant progress has been made to control periodontal disease and reconstruct the dentoalveolar apparatus. Gene therapy is one of the recent advancements and its applications in the field of periodontics are reviewed in general here.