AI research aims to predict, prevent periodontal disease progression
BUFFALO, N.Y.: Can artificial intelligence (AI) help stop gum disease before it starts? A groundbreaking new study at the University at Buffalo (UB) is seeking to answer exactly that.
Lu Li, a postdoctoral researcher in UB’s School of Dental Medicine, has received a $993,098 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00). The five-year grant will fund Li’s pioneering work using advanced machine learning to study bacterial communities in the mouth and understand how periodontal disease develops and progresses.
“This work will uncover novel patterns in oral microbial ecology, improve our ability to predict periodontitis progression, and lay the groundwork for personalized prevention and treatment strategies,” Li said.
Turning big data into insights
Li’s project will analyze dental plaque samples from more than 2,600 participants, some followed over five years, as part of major UB-led studies connecting oral health with cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.
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To make sense of this complex data, Li is using manifold learning, an advanced AI technique that transforms high-dimensional data into simplified, interpretable patterns. The resulting “microbiome landscapes” will map bacterial communities and identify which combinations are most strongly linked to worsening gum disease.
Pathway to personalized care
The NIH award is designed to help promising researchers transition into independent faculty positions. In the first phase, Li will collaborate with UB mentors Patricia Diaz, DDS, PhD (director, UB Microbiome Center), Jean Wactawski-Wende, PhD (dean, UB School of Public Health), and Michael Buck, PhD (director, Genetics, Genomics and Bioinformatics).
In the second, independent phase, Li plans to examine oral bacteria at the strain level, uncovering genetic and functional traits tied to disease severity.
“Ultimately, this could lead to more precise ways of predicting which patients are at higher risk and open the door to personalized strategies for preventing and treating periodontitis,” Li explained.
Bridging AI and oral health research
Li, who earned his PhD in computer science from UB in 2021, says he was drawn to microbiome research because it allowed him to apply AI techniques to improve human health outcomes.
“With this grant, we now have the opportunity to dig deeper into the data and create new tools that can take our understanding to the next level,” he said.
Patricia Diaz, his mentor, praised Li’s dedication and rapid mastery of microbiology concepts.
“Lu is an amazing trainee and a really outstanding person,” Diaz said. “To see him develop like this is a very satisfying moment in my career.”
If successful, this study could pave the way for AI-powered early detection tools that dentists can use to prevent gum disease before damage occurs — a major leap forward in oral health care and patient outcomes.
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