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Dr. Ammaar Abidi

Dr. Ammaar Abidi

Lincoln Memorial University

Dr. Ammaar Abidi is the Director of Bioscience and an Associate Professor of Pharmacology at Lincoln Memorial University, College of Dental Medicine. Dr. Abidi graduated with a dual degree (D.D.S/Ph.D.) at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN. Dr. Abidi’s career has been focused on combining his basic science knowledge of periodontal cells, cellular/molecular signaling, pharmacology, inflammation, and therapeutics to help evolve the current clinical therapies for oral inflammation. He has been actively presenting and lecturing on developing novel approaches to regulate oral pain and uncontrolled inflammation signaling to improve public oral and systemic health.

United States

Abstracts

2023

Cannabinoids: Are they protective or destructive in oral and systemic health?

The therapeutic utility and medicinal properties of cannabis have been subjected to many debates. In the last two decades, a significant rise in cannabis and hemp products has been introduced into the market and its impact on public health is unknown. Concerning dentistry, marijuana smokers exhibit oral complications and pathologies, but therapeutic application based on the delivery route and pharmacological action could provide beneficial clinical outcomes. The current shortcomings in understanding the benefits of cannabis or hemp products are limited due to pharmacological and clinical effects not being predictable. This course will highlight the important facts for clinicians that will give them a discussion on the cannabinoid receptor system, pharmacology, current oral health and systemic impact, medical dilemma, and drug metabolism (D-D interactions). Recent evidence links gingival disease and hypertension proposing several pathways including low-grade systemic inflammation and oxidative stress. The inflammation associated with elevated arterial blood pressure and vascular dysfunction results in many cardiovascular problems. Treatment with CB2R ligand SMM-189 shows promises to improve periodontal health by reducing the inflammatory burden and oxidative stress. We are currently studying CB2R selective ligand effects which provide an optimal target for novel strategies and should be further explored in both in vitro and animal studies in the management of periodontal and systemic health.