Development of an in vitro model system to investigate systemic immunotoxicity

Our skin and oral mucosa form a first line of defense against environmental factors. Whereas our skin in general does not tolerate any incoming foreign substances, our oral cavity is trained to tolerate the daily high load of foreign materials. Dental biomaterials are often metal-based and can leach degradation products into the oral cavity. Although in general this is well tolerated and does not lead to oral symptoms, these orthodontic biomaterials can elicit a systemic reaction in predisposed individuals resulting in adverse skin reactions such as skin rash or allergic contact dermatitis. Removing the dental metal from the oral cavity will eventually resolve the problem. This intriguing clinical observation led to this study with the aim to develop a new method for investigating systemic immunotoxicity in vitro in human model systems.