Molecular biology in oral research

Molecular biology is a study of molecules that are associated with living organisms. In recent years major advances in molecular biology have had a strong impact on medical and dental science. The new knowledge has led to a change in strategies for controlling dental diseases. In the present review we give a short introduction to some major advances in dental research which are based on molecular biology methods. This includes studies of dental hard tissue formations, mucosal immunity, tissue degradation by proteolytic enzymes, and intercellular communication by surface carbohydrate structures.