Transferring genes to salivary glands.

This review provides a brief description of gene transfer studies using salivary glands as the target tissue. The aggregate results demonstrate the potential clinical value of this methodological approach for managing several conditions lacking fully satisfactory conventional treatments. Routine clinical applications are still seven to ten years away, primarily because of the need for improved gene transfer vectors. Overall, this body of work provides the dental educator with a substantive example of how biotechnological progress will significantly affect the treatment of oral problems in the near future.