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One of the most common questions I hear is: <\/span>\u201cHow is testing going to change the therapy provided?\u201d<\/span><\/i> My answer? <\/span>\u201cIt most likely isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Wait\u2014what?! Then why bother testing at all?<\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s a fair question, and one worth unpacking. Testing tools, such as <\/span>MyPerioPath\u00ae<\/b>, should not replace clinical diagnostics or significantly change a patient\u2019s treatment plan. Rather, the use of a laboratory diagnostic test has the intent to confirm, but sometimes refute what you’re seeing clinically. Practically, and in most cases, the lab test confirms the clinical diagnosis based on the patient\u2019s history, the physical examination, and other diagnostics procedures. But importantly the laboratory can unveil things that are not observed by clinical examinations alone. In fact, they\u2019re incredibly valuable\u2014not for changing therapy, but for shifting how we <\/span>think<\/span><\/i> about therapy.<\/span><\/p>\n Currently, periodontal disease is diagnosed based on clinical signs\u2014bleeding on probing, pocket depth, bone loss, inflammation\u2014not a lab test. But relying solely on this reactive approach has its costs. Depending on the source, between <\/span>50-75% of American adults<\/b> have some form of periodontal disease. That\u2019s not just concerning; it\u2019s a public health crisis. Maybe it’s time to ask: <\/span>Are we too late to the game? Should we be treating periodontal disease more like the chronic, systemic medical condition that it is?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n In medicine, testing is foundational. Think about it\u2014lab work drives:<\/span><\/p>\n So why should dentistry be any different? By integrating diagnostic tools like MyPerioPath, we’re not just confirming a diagnosis\u2014we\u2019re learning more about the pathogens at play, and tailoring preventive and therapeutic strategies accordingly. This opens the door to a <\/span>proactive<\/b>, rather than reactive, approach to care.<\/span><\/p>\n Understanding the microbiological underpinnings of periodontal disease helps us take action <\/span>before<\/span><\/i> irreversible damage occurs. We can screen patients more effectively, educate them more thoroughly, and track treatment outcomes with greater precision. Just as important, we elevate the perception and value of what we do\u2014not just cleaning teeth, but managing a condition with known links to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Alzheimer\u2019s, and other systemic diseases.<\/span><\/p>\n Yes, testing may occasionally introduce you to a new tool or adjunctive therapy you hadn\u2019t considered. But its greatest impact isn\u2019t in the instruments you use\u2014it\u2019s in how you <\/span>think<\/b>. It\u2019s in transitioning from being a tooth technician to being the <\/span>oral health care provider<\/b> your patients truly need.<\/span><\/p>\n Periodontal disease isn\u2019t just a dental problem; it\u2019s a medical one. And like any other chronic disease, it deserves a medical mindset\u2014one that prioritizes prevention, early detection, and evidence-based care. By embracing testing, we\u2019re not replacing clinical expertise; we\u2019re enhancing it.<\/span><\/p>\n So the next time someone asks, \u201cWhy test if it doesn\u2019t change therapy?\u201d\u2014you can confidently say: \u201cBecause it changes everything else.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n One of the most common questions I hear is: \u201cHow is testing going to change the therapy provided?\u201d My answer? \u201cIt most likely isn\u2019t.\u201d Wait\u2014what?! Then why bother testing at all? That\u2019s a fair question, and one worth unpacking. Testing tools, such as MyPerioPath\u00ae, should not replace clinical diagnostics or significantly change a patient\u2019s treatment Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":28056,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[141,110],"tags":[54,9,37,78,210,150,12,77,165,178,142,147,17,86,76,152,273,274,24],"class_list":["post-28054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-medical-model","category-salivary-diagnostics","tag-alzheimers-disease","tag-bacterial-testing","tag-cardiovascular-disease","tag-clinical-lab-testing","tag-clinical-laboratory","tag-collaboration","tag-dental-bacterial-test","tag-disease-diagnosis","tag-functional-medicine","tag-medical-dental-collaboration","tag-medical-model","tag-oral-microbiome","tag-oral-systemic-connection","tag-perio-therapy","tag-periodontal-disease","tag-practice-management","tag-proactive-care","tag-reactive-care","tag-testing-mouth-bacteria"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Rethink.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":false,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7W16z-7iu","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28054"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28054"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28054\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28058,"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28054\/revisions\/28058"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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