Periodontal Medicine—New Diagnostic Opportunities

Purpose of Review We examined the literature on periodontal medicine to determine how this field has influenced the diagnosis of periodontal diseases and the search for biomarkers in oral fluids. Recent Findings Periodontal medicine has pushed the boundaries of biomarker discovery in oral fluids, where several analytes present in serum can be detected and potentially explored for the diagnosis of systemic conditions. The study of mechanisms linking oral and systemic diseases has also contributed to advances in our understanding of systemic modulation of the subgingival microenvironment and its effects on gingival crevicular fluid components and the local microbiota. Summary Recent technological advances in “omics” platforms allow us to examine concomitantly functional changes that occur in the host and the resident microbiota during disease processes. Integration of multi-omics data such as the one proposed by the Integrative Human Microbiome Project will afford new insights into the interplay between oral and systemic diseases.