What is the potential of antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal photodynamic therapy in dentistry?

Design: A review of the principal clinical applications of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) in dentistry.

Aim: To provide an overview of clinical applications and future perspectives of aPDT in dentistry.

Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted on PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase up to September 2022, where only data from randomized clinical trials were included.

Could light be a broad-spectrum antimicrobial?

Design: A review on antimicrobial resistance mechanisms discussing the main light-based antimicrobial approaches including ultraviolet light (UV), antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT), and antimicrobial blue light (aBL).

Aim: To describe antimicrobial resistance mechanisms and to present potential light-based alternatives to conventional antimicrobials.

Methods: The paper was divided into different topics, starting with an approach to antimicrobial resistance mechanisms.

What is the science underpinning the prescription of antibiotics in dentistry?

Design: A critical review on the use of antimicrobials in dentistry.

Aim: To provide a general overview of the use of antimicrobials in dentistry.

Methods: The paper was divided into different topics, starting with an approach to understanding both commensal and pathogenic oral microbiota.

Would it really be necessary to use metronidazole as an adjunct in the surgical treatment of periodontitis?

Design: Prospective, parallel, randomized, double-blind, clinical trial.

Case Selection: Participants were at least 30 years old, who were systemically healthy, with stages III-IV, grades B-C periodontitis.

Data Analysis: Of the 50 eligible individuals for the study, 40 were divided into 2 equal groups.

How safe is off-label use of imiquimod in oral lesions?

Data Sources: A comprehensive search was conducted on PubMed and Embase, adhering to the principles outlined in the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). The search strategy was subsequently registered on PROSPERO.

Study Selection: Articles were chosen based on an analysis of titles and abstracts, with no restrictions on publication date, language, or participant age.

Is there evidence that e-cigarettes promote an increased risk of dental caries?

Data Sources: This study was conducted on a sample of patients who attended the dental clinic at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, between January 1, 2019 and January 1, 2022. Ethical approval was obtained before commencing the research.

Study Selection: This cross-sectional study was carried out through an electronic search of electronic records.

Impacts of smoking on oral health-what is the role of the dental team in smoking cessation?

Data Sources: Electronic searches were conducted on databases (PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar). In addition, websites of national organisations (US Food and Drug Administration, National Cancer Institute, Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, American Dental Association, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) were also searched.

Study Selection: To achieve the objectives of the study, systematic reviews, controlled clinical trials, and observational studies published between October 2021 and February 2022 were considered.

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS): a strategy for smoking cessation or a new risk factor for oral health?

Data Sources: A search was conducted in PubMed and Cochrane Library databases for articles published in English between January 2012 and October 2022.

Study Selection: Articles were selected using both the term "electronic nicotine delivery system" (ENDS), as per the Medical Subject Heading (MeSH), in conjunction with specific oral domains. In vitro studies, animal models, unregistered clinical trials, and articles with conflicts of interest were excluded.

COVID-19 pandemic: multilevel dental technical guidelines based on new scientific evidence.

The COVID-19 pandemic imposed restrictive measures on dentistry in different regions of the world, ranging from stoppage of care to only permission for urgent and emergency dental services. Thus, new biosafety guidelines for resuming activities, whether in single dental offices, large clinics or dental education activities, are urgently required. In this sense, herein, guidelines that incorporate common points of the main protocols found in the literature for the resumption of dental activities at their different levels, whether in the scope of care or education, are presented.

Cast metal posts versus glass fibre posts: which treatment of choice based on cost-minimisation analysis?

Aim The aim of this randomised clinical trial based on cost-minimisation analysis was to assess and compare four post-retained restorative strategies for endodontically treated teeth.Methods A total of 225 endodontically treated teeth in 141 patients were evaluated annually between 2009 and 2018. In this sense, the teeth were divided into four groups according to the treatment strategy, where three groups were treated with glass fibre posts in combination with composite resin restorations or single metal-ceramic crown with or without ferrules, and one group was treated with cast metal posts with metal-ceramic crowns.

Use of wide-field optical fluorescence for visualization of oral biofilm in a patient with peri-implant mucositis: a new approach.

Peri-implant diseases, caused by bacteria from biofilm related to dental implants, are one of the main causes of late loss of implants. In this sense, peri-implant diseases are divided into peri-implant mucositis, when it affects only the soft tissues, and peri-implantitis, when there is a bone involvement, which can lead to the failure of dental implant therapy. Thus, biofilm removal is essential for peri-implant health, allowing long-term success in implant therapy.

Is there evidence that radiotherapy for head and neck cancer influences the incidence of dental caries?

Data sources Six databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, ProQuest, Scopus and Web of Science) and two trial registries (ICTRP, ClinicalTrials.gov) were searched from their inception to May 2019 using a search strategy developed for OVID (MEDLINE/EMBASE).Study selection This systematic review included observational studies and randomised controlled trials related to the incidence of dental caries in patients with a history of head and neck radiotherapy.

Oral squamous papilloma: a view under clinical, fluorescence and histopathological aspects.

Oral squamous papilloma is a benign tumor whose pathogenesis has been associated with human papillomavirus infection. Thus, it is noteworthy that human papillomavirus infection is one of the risk factors associated with the development of cervical, anogenital, pharynx, larynx and oral cavity carcinomas. Oral squamous papilloma can affect any region of the oral cavity, and transmission of human papillomavirus can occur by direct contact, sexual intercourse or from mother to child during delivery.

Mucosal vitiligo in angles of the mouth: clinical and fluorescence aspects.

Vitiligo is the most common depigmenting, chronic acquired disease of the skin and mucosa. However, vitiligo of an unclassified type and mucosal subtype affecting only one area of the mucosa is considered quite uncommon. The diagnosis of vitiligo, regardless of its type, is clinical.

Hairy Tongue: Differential Diagnosis by Use of Widefield Optical Fluorescence.

Hairy tongue is a benign pathology, characterized clinically by hyperkeratinized plaques on the dorsal surface of the tongue, hairlike, whose coloration ranges from unpigment, whitish, yellowish, green, brown to black. Diagnosis is clinical, and, in cases of whitish plaques, it may be difficult to differentiate between oral hairy leukoplakia, potentially malignant leukoplakia or squamous cell carcinoma. Thus, widefield optical fluorescence complementary examination may allow a better visualization of the local hairlike pattern of hyperkeratinization, typical of the hairy tongue, facilitating the diagnosis.

Firearm Projectile in the Maxillary Tuberosity Located by Adjunctive Examination of Wide-Field Optical Fluorescence.

Objective: Demonstrate the use of wide-field optical fluorescence as an adjunctive examination in a clinical routine to oral diagnosis.

Background Data: Use of wide-field optical fluorescence in the oral cavity has been restricted to topics related to the detection and diagnosis of oral cancer.

Materials And Methods: In a regular medical appointment, a 58-year-old female patient, without any complaint or oral symptom, underwent the complementary examination by wide-field optical fluorescence.

Oral cancer from the perspective of wide-field optical fluorescence: Diagnosis, tumor evolution and post-treatment follow up.

In this communication, we present that wide-field optical fluorescence might be useful for: the screening of oral lesions that are imperceptible to the naked eye, determination of biopsy area, better definition of treatment, and previous and post-treatment follow-up.