DNA microarray technology: insights for oral and maxillofacial surgeons

Since the discovery of DNA and the recent sequencing of the entire human genome, there have been great advances in our understanding of the genetic basis of many diseases, including cancer. An exciting recent development is DNA microarray technology. This technique allows many genes to be studied in the same experiment rather than one gene at a time. It can therefore provide large amounts of data much more quickly than was previously possible. This has great implications for diseases such as cancer, which often show genetic damage in many parts of the genome. DNA microarray technology has now been used in the investigation of many tumours including melanoma, breast cancer, and lymphoma, as well as in the understanding of the genetic basis of metabolic diseases. However, it seems that our specialty knows little about the technique and its possible clinical applications. We give here a simple introduction to the technology and its likely role in the future management of oral cancer.