For decades, a dental vaccine has been the topic of mucosal immunology and infectious disease research. Host mucosal immunity in pre-clinical and clinical studies has indicated that this immune system can interfere with the processes causing dental caries.
In a symposium during the 82nd General Session of the International Association for Dental Research, five scientists will make a case for the scientific and moral imperative of a vaccine to prevent caries in disadvantaged populations, in the United States and other industrialized countries as well as in developing countries throughout the world. In disadvantaged populations especially, a vaccine is the most plausible and desirable method of preventing disease. Indeed, vaccination is a very significant method of combating an infectious disease whose importance has been recognized in a recent report by the Institute of Medicine.
The moral and social imperative of a vaccine as a true public health measure will be discussed, particularly with regard to its impact on vulnerable populations.
This is the summary of a symposium entitled "The Scientific and Moral Imperative for a Dental Caries Vaccine", to be presented at 8 a.m. in Room 317-B of the Hawaii Convention Center during the 82nd General Session of the International Association for Dental Research.
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