Correlation of Biological Clock with General and Dental Health

Dr. Rishabh Bhanot, Dr. Sheikh Javeed Ahmad, Dr. Makrand Sapat, Dr. N. Vinaya, Dr. Syeda Ayesha, Dr. Deepesh Mathur, Dr. Rahul Vinay Chandra Tiwari
2019 Saudi Journal of Oral and Dental Research  
Most of the physiological processes in the mammals exhibit the circadian rhythms which are guided by endogenous biological clock. This biological clock consists of a central unit which is located in hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and the secondary clocks are located in the peripheral tissues. Circadian rhythms endure 24-hour oscillations of substantial number of the master genes that control the synchronization of varied metabolic and physiological actions within our bodies. This is
more » ... a very complex regulative network which contributes to an important association between brain and several peripheral tissues as well as organs. The circadian fluctuations of the gene expression are regulated at the molecular level by a family of transcription factors known as "clock genes". The imbalance or dysregulation in the expression of these clock genes can result in the varied human pathological conditions, inclusive of cancer and autoimmune diseases. The evidences are escalating regarding the effect of circadian clock in the tooth development, homeostasis of the oral epithelium, salivary gland and saliva production. The present article summarizes the available knowledge regarding the roles of the clock genes in the genesis as well as perpetuation of the oral tissues, and also mention about the potential association between the "oral clocks" and the diseases like head and neck cancer as well as Sjögren"s syndrome.
doi:10.36348/sjodr.2019.v04i12.003 fatcat:a2zeu5ci3faffob3riwgcjd3fq