Biological agents: what they are, how they affect oral health and how they can modulate oral healthcare

Biological agents - biologics, biologicals or biopharmaceuticals - are any medicinal product manufactured in, or extracted from, a biological source. They are often generated by DNA recombinant biotechnology and several dozen therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are now marketed for a variety of indications, increasingly in the management of inflammatory immune-mediated disorders, transplantation rejection and cancer treatments. Immunomodulatory mAbs are expensive, must be given by injection or infusion and can have adverse effects but are increasingly used and can be highly effective agents. This paper reviews these agents and their increasing relevance to oral science and healthcare.