Abstract
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) for the inactivation of microorganisms was first introduced more than 100years ago when Oscar Raab reported the lethal effect of acridine hydrochloride on Paramecium caudatum. PDT is based on the concept that nontoxic photosensitizers (PSs) can be preferentially localized in certain tissues and subsequently activated by light of the appropriate wavelength to generate singlet oxygen and free radicals that are cytotoxic to cells of the target tissue. Phenothiazinium-based PSs are well-established PSs that have been used in PDT for targeting various Gram-positive and Gram-negative oral bacteria but the reduced susceptibility of biofilms to PDT mediated with these PSs due to reduced penetration and multidrug resistance pumps in bacteria was reported. Studies in PDT have focused on the use of polymer-based nanoparticles for PS delivery and release. The advantages of these systems include concentrated package of PS, reduced possibility of multiple-drug resistance, selectivity of treatment by localized delivery agents, nonimmunogenicity, etc. Thus they may offer a novel nano-platform for the design of enhanced drug delivery via clinically applied PSs for mediating PDT of certain diseases and photodestruction of oral biofilms. In this chapter, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of conventional PDT by means of chemical PSs compared to PDT by means of nanoparticles in oral microbial diseases. We will attempt a comprehensive review of the literature to come to a practical conclusion.
Published Version
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