Starting in September of 2006, the staff of the first-known Dental Registry and DNA Repository began collecting DNA samples and compiling related dental records as part of a pilot test to gauge the success of the project at the School of Dental Medicine.

Director of the program and assistant professor in the Department of Oral Biology, Dr. Alexandre Vieira hoped 30 percent of patients would volunteer to participate by signing a waiver and salivating into a special container designed to preserve the samples.  Nearly a year later, the Dental Registry and DNA Repository has had 85 percent compliance with over 400 samples collected.

This success is the likely result of Dr. Vieira's careful planning.  In order to protect patients' identity, the samples and dental records are assigned a bar code.  From there, the sample is sent to a laboratory in the SDM where student technicians or researchers use chemicals to break down cells in the saliva and access the DNA.  The DNA is then stored in locked freezers, available for future research in the genetics of caries or other oral anomalies.  For instance, couples could someday be tested to determine their potential for having a baby with cleft lip and/or palate.  The Dental Registry and DNA Repository also could aid in the research of oral cancer and periodontal disease.

Aside from furthering research in dental medicine, one of the major benefits of the project is the ability for researchers who have been approved by the Dental Registry and DNA Repository's review board to access the data without further approval by the Institutional Review Board.  Another benefit to researchers using the Dental Registry and DNA Repository is savings in almost $125,000 per genetics study.  The cost of genetics research is considerable because of the volume of samples required for analysis.

"This incredibly facilitates future research efforts at the School of Dental Medicine," Dr. Vieira said.