Effectiveness of Photodynamic Therapy in the Treatment of Oral Diseases: A Reality or Myth?

Abstract

Background: A growingAQ3 number of investigations have demonstrated promising outcomes related to the application of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in dentistry. PDT involves the application of light and photosensitizer (PS) or photoactive dye that can generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) on irradiation with light of an appropriate wavelength to be absorbed by the PS. Results and Conclusion: ROS initiates a series of biological and photochemical processes that lead to irreversible damage resulting in the death of microbes. Several light-absorbing dyes have been used in the literature as potential PS for PDT and varying wavelengths have been evaluated. Different outcomes, limitations, and suggestions have been mentioned by various researchers, hence, this review aimed to identify several oral conditions and diseases where PDT could be utilized efficaciously as the sole therapy or as an adjunctive modality and assess from numerous published literature whether PDT exerts a significant influence on the treatment of oral conditions and diseases.