[gumby]

How does your IRB feel about having people pay to be part of a study?

Do you look for specific non-dental disease factors, such as microbes that can lead to damage to the heart valves? What about signs of oral cancers (would those be strained out in the process of rejecting the human cells?)

[david_l_lin]

There have been some intriguing studies associating the oral microbiome with systemic diseases such as cardiovascular indications, diabetes, oral cancers, and neurological diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Some studies even suggest causal links between pathogens that reside in the mouth and arterial plaque and even neurodegeneration.

With the Bristle platform, we will have the resolution to dive deeper into these associations, and potentially improve patient outcomes through targeting the oral microbiome.

[gumby]

What about the part about charging people to participate in a study? That seems backwards and morally questionable. Usually the entity doing the study reimburses the participants for their expenses and inconvenience. Is this not an IRB-approved study?