Towards Digital Periodontology in Space Medicine

Area of Science:

• Space medicine
• Computational biology
• Oral health

Background:

• Spaceflight factors like microgravity and radiation disrupt immune function, increasing oral and systemic inflammation.
• Astronauts face unique health challenges due to altered immune responses and microbial environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a periodontal digital twin, a computational model for real-time simulation of astronaut oral health.
• To establish a data-driven framework linking multiomic and physiological astronaut data to oral ecosystem dynamics.

Main Methods:

• Integrating oral microbiome, immune, and metabolic data into a personalized computational model.
• Continuously updating the digital twin with biological and environmental data for predictive simulations.

Main Results:

• The digital twin framework enables real-time simulation of individual oral ecosystem dynamics.
• Predictive capabilities allow for early detection of deviations from homeostasis.

Conclusions:

• A periodontal digital twin can serve as an early warning system for immune dysregulation and microbial imbalance in astronauts.
• This approach supports targeted interventions and advances precision healthcare for space and terrestrial applications.