DONTE GROUP, a leading dental care group in
Spain, has signed a collaboration agreement with Spiral, an international
company specialising in biodata and genetic analysis, and with Telefónica,
Google Cloud, and CEU San Pablo University to carry out a bioinformatic
analysis using artificial intelligence and Big Data storage.
According to Dr. Ana Adell Pérez, Head Researcher of the
Dentistry research team at CEU San Pablo University in Madrid, "the importance and association of oral
microbiota in the overall health of the patient is becoming increasingly
evident. A significant number of recent scientific studies and publications
support this."
This
innovative large-scale scientific study, involving over 2.200 volunteers and
which will be conducted in Spain through DONTE GROUP dental clinics, is
expected to last approximately three years and will contribute to expanding
knowledge in this crucial area of medicine, providing invaluable information
about the relationship between oral microbiota and general health.
Numerous
studies suggest that having certain bacterial species in a high degree of
uncontrolled infection predisposes the patient to certain non-communicable
chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases (the leading cause of death
worldwide with 17.5 million deaths per year and the leading cause in Spain with
approximately 29% of total deaths); stroke (affecting 120.000 Spaniards and
causing 18.000 deaths each year, which accounts for 15% of those diagnosed);
Alzheimer's (more than 800.000 people have this disease in Spain; colon cancer
(Spain will diagnose more than 42.000 cases of colon cancer in 2023); diabetes
(14.8% of Spaniards suffer from this condition); as well as adverse effects
during pregnancy, etc. However, the exact mechanisms of interaction between
oral microbiota and the rest of the body are yet unknown. "The study
results will impact how we view and understand oral health as an essential part
of the patient's overall health and will change the way we treat the oral
cavity as an isolated organ within our body," says Dr. Clara
Esteban, the medical director of DONTE GROUP.
The
procedure will involve collecting the necessary information from anonymous and
voluntary DONTE GROUP patients using bacteriological genetic tests from Spiral.
With this protocol and the help of new technologies from Telefónica and Google,
all clinical information can be linked, identifying the relationship between
bacterial species of oral microbiota and other parameters. This will allow for
determination of whether oral dysbiosis is related as a risk factor in the
development of the aforementioned non-communicable chronic diseases. "This
innovative scientific study will highlight the significant correlation of
dental, medical, and scientific information. It will furthermore enable the
development of new therapies and personalised treatments for patient health,
covering all angles," emphasises Spiral’s CEO, Francisco
Tercero-Mora.
"In this way” Tercero-Mora
adds, “we can establish and incorporate new risk factors that will help us
prevent, diagnose, and treat conditions that were initially believed to be less
closely related to the patient's oral cavity."