Diagnostic assays for determination of dental caries susceptibility
OwnerRichard L. Gregoryinventor
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Abstract
The invention overcomes the limitations of the prior art by providing rapid assays for predicting the likelihood of caries development in patients. The assays allow implementation of appropriate dental care measures during a patient visit depending on the results of the assay. The assay utilizes the finding that caries-free children and adults have significantly higher levels of naturally occurring protective salivary IgA antibody to S. mutans than caries-active subjects. The assays are carried out using patient saliva. The speed and ease of use of the assay allows dental practitioners to assess at an early stage the relative risk of future caries formation. With this information, preventive methods may be applied only to those determined to be at risk.
Claims59
A diagnostic apparatus comprising:
- (a) a porous solid support;
- (b) microparticles reversibly attached to said support, wherein said microparticles are bound to at least a first antigen from Streptococcus mutans and wherein the microparticles are capable of migrating along the support when contacted with human saliva;
- and
- (c) a ligand bound to said support, wherein said ligand has an affinity for at least a first human IgA antibody.
A method of assaying a patient for susceptibility to caries development comprising the steps of:
- (a) obtaining an assay apparatus comprising:
- (1) a porous solid support;
- (2) microparticles reversibly attached to said support, wherein said microparticles are bound to at least a first antigen from Streptococcus mutans and wherein the microparticles are capable of migrating along the support when contacted with a solution comprising human saliva;
- and
- (3) a ligand bound to said support at a selected location, wherein said ligand has an affinity for a human IgA antibody;
- (b) contacting said assay apparatus with saliva from a patient, wherein said saliva is allowed to contact said microparticles and said ligand;
- and
- (c) detecting the presence or absence of microparticles bound to said ligand at said selected location.
A method of dental care comprising:
- (a) obtaining saliva from a patient;
- (b) rapidly assaying said saliva for an IgA antibody specific to an antigen from Streptococcus mutans while the patient waits, wherein results from said assaying are obtained within 30 minutes from said step of obtaining;
- and
- (c) initiating a course of treatment for prevention of caries development based on said rapid assaying.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.