AKC Canine Health Foundation - 22

Deciphering Canine Periodontal Disease One Molecule at a
Time
Santiago Peralta, DVM, DAVDC, FF-AVDC-OMFS
Cornell University
BIOGRAPHY
Santiago Peralta has been practicing veterinary dentistry and
oral surgery since 2004. He received his degree in veterinary
medicine from La Salle University in Bogota, Colombia, in 1999.
He worked in private practice for six years before specializing in
dentistry and oral surgery. He completed a Residency in
Veterinary Dentistry and Oral Surgery at the University of California - Davis in 2009 and joined
the faculty at Cornell in 2011 where he currently serves as an Associate Professor. He is a
Diplomate of the American Veterinary Dental College and a Founding Fellow of Oral and
Maxillofacial Surgery. Dr. Peralta's research is focused on understanding mechanisms of oral
and dental disease in companion animals and developing comparative models that can help
inform human disease.
PRESENTATION ABSTRACT
Periodontal disease is one of the most prevalent and widespread diseases of dogs and can
result in significant patient morbidity including pain, discomfort, and loss of teeth. Periodontal
disease is considered a multifactorial inflammatory disease that includes complex interactions
between the host's defense mechanisms and the microbial communities that are normally
present in dental plaque. However, the mechanisms by which the microbial community's
composition and functional characteristics underlie differences in the host's local immunological
response have yet to be identified. This presentation will review current knowledge of
periodontal disease in dogs and summarize our research program, which is aimed at elucidating
mechanisms of disease to ultimately inform rational preventive, diagnostic, prognostic and
therapeutic interventions. Contents will include how next-generation sequencing technologies
and related analytical pipelines are being used to generate large datasets, how results are
interpreted in a biological context, and how the mechanistic insights gained can help guide next
steps as we look towards the development of novel clinical applications.
CURRENT CHF GRANTS
02809: Microbial and Cytokine Signatures of Periodontitis in Dogs
2023 National Parent Club Canine Health Conference
Presented by the AKC Canine Health Foundation and Nestlé Purina PetCare

AKC Canine Health Foundation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AKC Canine Health Foundation