SFB1739 Soft Tissue – Alveolar Bone Crosstalk
Impact of systemic diseases on mechanisms of periodontal remodelling
The tissues of the periodontium are constantly undergoing renewal and adaptation. This process, known as periodontal remodeling, is essential for maintaining oral health, ensuring tooth stability, and promoting the regeneration of hard and soft tissues.
While bacterial plaque, mechanical stress, and trauma have long been recognized as important influencing factors, recent research findings show that systemic diseases also have a decisive influence on these processes. Conditions such as chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, liver disease, or hematological disorders can permanently alter the biological mechanisms of periodontal remodeling and thus contribute to the breakdown of periodontal tissues and alveolar bone.
The Collaborative Research Center SFB1739 investigates the molecular and cellular mechanisms through which systemic diseases influence the interactions between soft tissue and alveolar bone. The goal is to identify the previously largely unknown signaling pathways and mediators of this organ-to-periodontium crosstalk axis and to understand their significance for health and disease.
Close collaboration among researchers in dentistry, human medicine, and basic research is creating a unique research platform that combines clinical observations with modern experimental and technological approaches. In the long term, the findings are expected to lay the groundwork for new diagnostic procedures and innovative therapeutic approaches aimed at sustainably improving the oral health of patients with systemic diseases.
Goals of SFB1739
The Collaborative Research Center SFB1739 has the long-term goal of unraveling the interactions between systemic diseases and periodontal remodeling and translating this knowledge into new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. The consortium’s research strategy follows three sequential steps:
Understand
In the first funding phase, SFB1739 is investigating the molecular and cellular mechanisms through which systemic diseases influence the regeneration, homeostasis, and stability of the periodontium. The goal is to identify new mediators, signaling pathways, and biological processes underlying disrupted periodontal remodeling.
Modulate
Based on these findings, the second funding phase will focus on specifically modulating the identified mechanisms. Through experimental approaches, disease-relevant signaling pathways, cell functions, and tissue processes will be modified to develop new strategies for the prevention and treatment of periodontal tissue damage.
Translation
In the third funding phase, the findings will be translated into clinical applications. The goal is to develop innovative diagnostic methods, biomarkers, and therapeutic strategies that enable personalized treatment for patients with systemically induced disorders of periodontal remodeling.
