Bioquímica. La importancia de las áreas básicas en la odontología

Living beings are a complex set of chemical elements joined together. Structures constituting them are in harmonious disposition which enables them to work in a concerted manner to give way to numberless cellular events, which preserve internal communication among molecules which require and bear energy. In the same manner, living beings receive messages from the environment. They then translate them in a coordinate and specific manner, and thus elicit responses which allow the development and reproduction of different forms of life.Biochemistry is a scientific discipline which explains how carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur, besides being essential to life, are components of structures such as carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids, which are all involved in cell metabolism. Biochemistry also provides valuable knowledge with respect to the complex molecular relationship which allows to sustain life. It also allows the understanding of processes involved in cell aging and death; it confers knowledge on the process of energy transformation in living beings and signaling mechanisms, as well as providing necessary knowledge to be able to understand scientific and technological research.The fact of being acquainted and understanding each of the events which allow proper functioning, sets the bases to understand the fact that any alteration of these processes result in the different disorders which affl ict living things. From the aforementioned we can gather that biochemistry is not isolated and is part of a distinguished group of disciplines which interact to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the wonderful human body.It must be well understood that biochemistry has been the springboard of numberless Nobel laureates, like Fisher in 1902, who concluded that the action of an enzyme was speci c with respect to a fisubstratum. Biochemistry is doubtlessly a discipline which provides signifi cant tools in the development of medical research, and this fact supports its importance within the Study Plan of the Dental Curriculum.Bruce J. Baum mentions that biomedical sciences are overwhelmingly relevant and bear impact in the practice of dentistry, he highlights the fact that there would appear to be certain resistance to consider their importance in dental education. He also points out the fact that to appreciate and understand science and to think scientifically is not disparaging to technical knowledge required in the practice of dentistry. On the contrary, the understanding of disease and tissue biology using rigorous logical thought when treating patients and the valuing how biomedical sciences lead to therapeutic advances, are desirable conditions under different circumstances in any clinical discipline, including all facets of dentistry.