Role of curcumin in oral infection and inflammation

Epigenetics of oral infection and inflammatory diseases—DNA methylation changes in infections and inflammation diseases

Oral inflammatory diseases, including oral lichen planus (OLP) and recurrent aphthous ulcer (RAU), seriously affect the patient’s quality of life. Due to the lack of ideal disease models, it is difficult to determine whether novel immunotherapy strategies are effective in treating oral inflammatory diseases. Here, we show that the deficiency of Foxp3 or IL-2 caused oral mucosa inflammation in mice, proving that Treg cells are important in maintaining the immune homeostasis in the oral mucosa. Then we determined that adoptive transfer of CD4+CD25-CD45Rbhigh T cells could induce oral inflammation in Rag1-/- mice, and co-transfer of Treg cells together with CD4+CD25-CD45Rbhigh T cells could suppress the development of oral inflammation in this mouse model. Our study showed that adoptive transfer of CD4+CD25-CD45Rbhigh T cells into Rag1-/- mice could be a novel disease model of oral inflammation. Our data provides direct evidence that Treg cell therapy is effective in suppressing oral mucosa inflammation in mice. Therefore, Treg cell therapy may be a promising novel strategy to treat oral inflammatory diseases.

The oral cavity contributes to overall health, psychosocial well-being and quality of human life. Oral inflammatory diseases represent a major global health problem with significant social and economic impact. The development of effective therapies, therefore, requires deeper insights into the etiopathogenesis of oral diseases. Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection results in a life-long persistence of the virus in the host and has been associated with numerous oral inflammatory diseases including oral lichen planus (OLP), periodontal disease and Sjogren’s syndrome (SS). There is considerable evidence that the EBV infection is a strong risk factor for the development and progression of these conditions, but is EBV a true pathogen? This long-standing EBV paradox yet needs to be solved. This review discusses novel viral aspects of the etiopathogenesis of non-tumorigenic diseases in the oral cavity, in particular, the contribution of EBV in OLP, periodontitis and SS, the tropism of EBV infection, the major players involved in the etiopathogenic mechanisms and emerging contribution of EBV-pathogenic bacteria bidirectional interaction. It also proposes the involvement of EBV-infected plasma cells in the development and progression of oral inflammatory diseases. A new direction for preventing and treating these conditions may focus on controlling pathogenic EBV with anti-herpetic drugs.

The Interactions Between Physicians and Dentists in Managing the Care of Patients With Diabetes Mellitus

Lichen planus

Role and mechanism of the nod-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 inflammasome in oral disease

Photothérapie par diode électroluminescente des pathologies inflammatoires et infectieuses de la cavité orale

Objective Research evidence suggests a link between periodontitis (PD) and atrial fibrillation, but the nature of this link is unclear. This study aimed to systematically review and evaluate the association between PD, other oral diseases, and atrial fibrillation and the role of oral hygiene in preventing atrial fibrillation. Methods We searched the Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases for the clinical study of oral health and atrial fibrillation from inception to November 2022. Oral health conditions included PD and other oral inflammatory diseases, regular oral hygiene, and tooth brushing. The primary outcomes were the risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation in patients with oral disease, the effect of regular oral care on preventing atrial fibrillation, the effect of frequent tooth brushing on preventing atrial fibrillation, and the incidence of atrial fibrillation in PD patients. Results Eight clinical trials with a total of 4,328,355 patients were included. The result of the research showed that PD and other impaired oral health may be associated with new-onset atrial fibrillation, and its severity was dose-responsive to the risk of atrial fibrillation. The incidence of atrial fibrillation in patients with severe PD was about 16.3%. Moreover, PD may increase the risk of long-term arrhythmia in patients with atrial fibrillation. Regular oral care and frequent tooth brushing can reduce the incidence of atrial fibrillation. Conclusion Regular and moderate oral hygiene, frequent tooth brushing, and prevention of PD and other oral inflammatory diseases could reduce the occurrence of atrial fibrillation. It is recommended to strengthen the popularization of oral health knowledge in the publicity related to atrial fibrillation.

The human oral cavity contains a plethora of habitats and tissue environments, such as teeth, tongue, and gingiva, which are home to a rich microbial flora including bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Given the exposed nature of the mouth, oral tissues constantly encounter infectious agents, forming a complex ecological community. In the past, the discussion of microbiological aspects of oral disease has traditionally focused on bacteria and fungi, but viruses are attracting increasing attention as pathogens in oral inflammatory diseases. Therefore, understanding viral prevalence, pathogenicity, and preference regarding oral tissues is critical to understanding the holistic effects of viruses on oral infections. Recent investigations have demonstrated the abundance of certain viruses in oral inflammatory diseases, suggesting an association between viruses and disease. Human herpesviruses are the most extensively studied viruses in different oral inflammatory diseases. However, challenges in viral detection and the lack of reproducible in vitro and in vivo infection models have limited our progress in understanding viruses and their contribution to oral diseases. This review presents a summary of major mammalian viruses and associated diseases in the human oral cavity. The emergence of a recent pathogen SARS-CoV-2 and its tropism for salivary and periodontal tissues further highlights the relevance of the oral cavity in host-pathogen interaction. Understanding how these different viruses present clinically and influence oral health will advance our understanding of multifactorial oral diseases and their association with viruses.

Micronutrients and bioactive compounds in oral inflammatory diseases

Background Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic oral mucosal inflammatory disease with a risk of becoming malignant. Emerging evidence suggests that microbial imbalance plays an important role in the development of OLP. However, the association between the oral microbiota and the metabolic features in OLP is still unclear. Methods We conducted 16S rRNA sequencing and metabolomics profiling on 95 OLP patients and 105 healthy controls (HC).To study oral microbes and metabolic changes in OLP, we applied differential analysis, Spearman correlation analysis and four machine learning algoeithms Results The alpha and beta diversity both differed between OLP and HC. After adjustment for gender and age, we found an increase in the relative abundance of Pseudomonas, Aggregatibacter, Campylobacter, and Lautropia in OLP, while 18 genera decreased in OLP. A total of 153 saliva metabolites distinguishing OLP from HC were identified. Notably, correlations were found between Oribacterium, specific lipid and amino acid metabolites, and OLP’s clinical phenotype. Additionally, the combination of Pseudomonas, Rhodococcus and (±)10-HDoHE effectively distinguished OLP from HC. Conclusions Based on multi-omics data, this study provides comprehensive evidence of a novel interplay between oral microbiome and metabolome in OLP pathogenesis using the oral microbiota and metabolites of OLP patients.

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) is one of the oldest medicinal herbs, also reported by Avicenna, with several therapeutic advantages such as wound healing, improvement of asthma, urinary infections and stomach ulcers, as well as pain-relieving characteristics. The review aims to assess the efficacy of licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) in reducing pain compared to other pharmacological interventions, including placebo, in recurrent aphthous stomatitis, oral lichen planus and radiation-induced oral mucositis. Four electronic databases, registries of current studies and a manual search were used to find randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated the effectiveness of licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) in reducing pain compared to other pharmacological interventions, including placebo, in recurrent aphthous stomatitis, oral lichen planus and radiation-induced oral mucositis patients up to December 2022. The primary outcomes were pain reduction and secondary outcomes included reduction in size of the lesion. Seven RCTs with a total of 326 patients were included. Our analysis indicated that Licorice is as effective as other pharmacological and placebo therapies in treating recurrent aphthous ulcer, oral lichen planus and oral mucositis. All of the RCTs that are included here showed a substantial decrease in visual analogue scale scores, demonstrating the efficacy of liquorice in comparison to other pharmaceutical therapies with negligible adverse effects. Thus, Licorice is a potential pain reducing herbal medicine and can be effectively used in oral lesions like RAS, OLP, radiation induced mucositis for relieving pain.

Objective: To investigate the DNMT3B (C46359T) polymorphism and immunoexpression of DNMT3b and DNMT1 in oral lichen planus (OLP) compared to a control group. Methods: We aimed to investigate the DNMT3B (C46359T) polymorphism and immunoexpression of DNMT3b and DNMT1 in OLP (n = 32), comparing it with oral mucosa (control; n = 24). The DNMT3B (C46359T) polymorphism was analyzed using the RFLP-PCR and DNMT1, and DNMT3a proteins were identified using immunohistochemistry. We also compared the DNMT3B expression in OLP and oral inflammatory fibrous hyperplasia (OIFH), another oral inflammatory disease. Differences between the groups were determined by specific statistical analyses. Results: The CT genotype of DNMT3B was associated with OLP development (p = 0.012). Increased expression of DNMT3B and DNMT1 was observed in OLP compared to the control group (p = 0.014 and p = 0.001, respectively). A significant increase in DNMT3B protein levels was observed in the genotype CT in DNMT3B (C46359T) polymorphisms (p = 0.045). No DNMT3B expression differences between OLP and OIFH were observed. Conclusions: Our data show that the DNMT3B (C46359T) polymorphism is associated with OLP development. Furthermore, increased expression of the enzyme DNMT3B, an epigenetic-associated protein, is present in OLP.

Introduction: Oral leukoplakia, submucous fibrosis (OSMF), oral lichen planus (OLP) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) are the commonly occurring oral diseases, with characteristic clinical and histological features. These diseases at some stage are associated with chronic inflammation in adjacent connective tissue. Mast cells are the local residents of the connective tissue, and are said to be pro-inflammatory, immunoamplifying in action and producing mitogenic cytokines. These functions of mast cells may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of other oral diseases. Aims: This study was done to histologically evaluate the number of mast cells in tissue sections of oral leukoplakia, submucous fibrosis, lichen planus and squamous cell carcinoma. Materials and Methods: Five cases each of normal oral mucosa, oral leukoplakia, oral submucous fibrosis, lichen planus and squamous cell carcinoma were studied for mast cell number using 1% Toluidine blue. Results: Increase in mast cell number were seen in all the four above mentioned oral diseases, with the highest mast cell count obtained in oral lichen planus. The mast cell number/sq.mm in oral leukoplakia, submucous fibrosis, lichen planus, squamous cell carcinoma were; 59.50, 48.25, 59.75 and 56.75 respectively. Conclusion: As compared to normal oral mucosa, increase in the mast cell number was noted in all the four conditions. Mast cell hyperplasia in oral leukoplakia, OSMF, OLP, OSCC suggests their probable role in the pathogenesis of these diseases.

There is a reported association between oral contact allergy and oral lichen planus (OLP). Likewise oral squamous cell carcinoma (oSCC) is associated with OLP. However, risk factors for malignant transformation are unclear and it is not known if oral contact allergy impacts OLP disease severity or subsequent risk of oral squamous cell carcinoma (oSCC). In this study, we aimed to assess the association between allergy testing positivity and oSCC in OLP. We also assessed oSCC prevalence in OLP, allergen prevalence in OLP, and associations between allergy testing and OLP phenotype. To do this, we performed a retrospective cohort evaluation investigating the association between allergy testing positivity, clinical and demographic factors, and the odds of oSCC. Patients were seen at the University of Utah from 2015–2022. The rates of oSCC and allergy testing (patch + scratch testing) results were summarized descriptively and associations between oSCC, disease phenotypes, and allergy testing results were assessed using univariable and multivariable logistic regression. Patients were selected if they had a confirmed diagnosis of oral lichen planus as determined by a dermatologist or a dentist specializing in inflammatory oral disease. Allergy testing was performed by two specialized dermatologists. oSCC diagnosis was identified via chart review and were supported by histologic data. All data was collected via retrospective chart review. Among 587 OLP patients identified, 133 were allergy tested and 77.4% were positive. Of those with a positive allergy test, 10 (25.6%) developed oSCC compared with 2 (5.1%) of patients with a negative allergy test. There was insufficient evidence to support an association between allergy positivity and oSCC (OR = 1.55, 95% CI 0.76–3.15). Of the OLP disease characteristics tracked, only OLP involving the gingiva was associated with positive allergy testing (OR = 2.54,1.11–5.81). Likewise, a higher percent of symptomatic visits was the only clinical factor associated with oSCC (median 87.5% vs 66.7%, p = 0.03). These data suggest that allergy test positivity may not be associated with oSCC. However, it was associated with more pervasive symptomatology, suggesting a possible association with more severe or recalcitrant disease.