{"title":"Animal models to study the pathogenesis and novel therapeutics of oral lichen planus","authors":"Youngnim Choi","doi":"10.3389/froh.2024.1405245","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/froh.2024.1405245","url":null,"abstract":"Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a prevalent oral mucosal disease characterized by an unknown etiology and a complex pathogenesis. Patients with OLP endure a chronic course marked by alternating non-erosive and erosive lesions, with no definitive cure currently available. Particularly challenging is the treatment of recalcitrant erosive OLP, highlighting an urgent need for therapies targeting specific pathogenic pathways. In diseases like OLP, where the etiopathogenesis is intricate and elusive, animal models are indispensable for hypothesis testing and elucidating disease mechanisms. To date, only three animal models for oral lichenoid lesions have been reported in the literature. This Perspective paper evaluates these existing models, along with a novel OLP mouse model introduced at the 3rd International Conference on Oral Mucosal Immunity and Microbiome. The validity of these models is critically assessed, and their potential future applications in advancing our understanding of OLP are discussed.","PeriodicalId":12463,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Oral Health","volume":" 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140996306","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
T. D. de Vries, T. Schoenmaker, Laura A N Peferoen, B. P. Krom, Elisabeth Bloemena
{"title":"Design and evaluation of an immunology and pathology course that is tailored to today’s dentistry students","authors":"T. D. de Vries, T. Schoenmaker, Laura A N Peferoen, B. P. Krom, Elisabeth Bloemena","doi":"10.3389/froh.2024.1386904","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/froh.2024.1386904","url":null,"abstract":"Curricular reform provides new opportunities to renovate important pillars of the dentistry curriculum, such as immunology and pathology, with novel approaches that appeal to new generations of students. When redesigning a course that integrates both immunology and pathology at the level that provides dentistry students with sustainable knowledge that is useful for their entire career, several challenges must be met. The objective of the present study was to describe the considerations involved in the design phase of such a new course. First, the course should be compatible with the new view on the incorporation of more active learning and teaching methods. Practically, this means that the course design should contain fewer lectures and more seminars and tutorials, where the students have fewer contact hours and actively engage in using recently acquired knowledge within a contextual background. A mandatory session of team-based learning provides opportunities to apply knowledge in combination with academic reasoning skills, teamwork, and communication. Second, for a 4-week course, choices must be made: students will not become immunologists nor pathologists in such a short period. A governing principle for this course's design is that it should be based on understanding the basic principles of immunology and pathology. The ultimate goal for the students is to make the course immuno-logical and patho-logical, challenging them to reach a next level but clearly without oversimplification. Part of the course design should allow room for students to further study an immunological topic of their own choice, thereby contributing to their immunological curiosity and to their academic development. Third, to make it tailored to a new generation of dentists, examples from the field of dentistry are actively integrated in all aspects of the course. Finally, the era of ChatGPT provides novel opportunities to use generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the learning process, but it demands critical thinking of how to use it in a newly designed course. A mid-course evaluation revealed that students acknowledged that immunology and pathology were presented as an integrated course. The final course evaluation endorsed the use of these various educational methods. These methods proved to be appropriate and logical choices for reaching the learning goals of the course.","PeriodicalId":12463,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Oral Health","volume":"186 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140994594","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Immediate loading in partially edentulous patients with fixed implant-supported restorations cases report","authors":"Shuang Wang, Siyi Duan, Rui Chen, Zijian Wang, Yulong Tang","doi":"10.3389/froh.2024.1369494","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/froh.2024.1369494","url":null,"abstract":"This article reports on four rare cases involving multiple trauma-induced adjacent missing anterior teeth in the maxillary or mandibular region. These cases were successfully treated using a 4-axial implant-based alternative insert and an immediate loading protocol.This series of cases was summarized by retrospective study that 4 patients who received a total of 20 immediately loaded implants. These patients had suffered from trauma-induced loss of 8–9 adjacent anterior teeth. The 4-axial-implants were inserted with the assistance of digital pioneer drill guides. The surgical procedure involved alveolar bone trimming or ultrasonic osteotomy, eliminating the need for traditional large-area bone augmentation. Pre- and post-operative CBCT was matched using DTX Studio Implant software, the deviation of implant between actual position and preoperative design was measured and compared using SPSS software package.The average follow-up duration 48 months after implant prostheses, the cumulative retention rate of the implants was 100%, the marginal bone loss averaged 0.53 mm (SD 0.15 mm), and buccal plate bone loss averaged 0.62 mm (SD 0.41 mm).This retrospective clinical report demonstrates the successful treatment of several patients with multiple adjacent maxillary or mandibular anterior teeth using four implant-supported screws to fix the frame and employing immediate loading. The approach resulted in long-term stable clinical outcomes. Moreover, the method not only shortens the period of edentulism but also facilitates easy disassembly, maintenance, and cleaning. Consequently, it emerges as a highly favorable clinical option for patients suffering from extensive tooth loss.","PeriodicalId":12463,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Oral Health","volume":"31 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141004283","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The relationship between self-reported poor mental health and complete tooth loss among the US adult population in 2019","authors":"Tasha Powell, Heather Taylor","doi":"10.3389/froh.2024.1363982","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/froh.2024.1363982","url":null,"abstract":"Very little is known about the association between poor mental health and poor oral health outcomes in the United Sates. This study investigated the prevalence of complete tooth loss among those with and without perceived poor mental health in a nationally representative sample of noninstitutionalized U.S. adults.Using a cross-sectional study design, we analyzed the 2019 Medical Expenditures Panel Survey to determine the unweighted and weighted prevalence of complete tooth loss among adults. Chi-squared and multivariate logit regression with marginal effects were used to measure the association between complete tooth loss and perceived poor mental health, controlling for respondent characteristics.The prevalence of adults (ages 18 and older) experiencing complete tooth loss was 6% (95% CI: 5.6–6.4). Individuals who have perceived poor mental health were 1.90 percentage points (pps) more likely to report missing all their natural teeth (P = 0.006: 95% CI: 0.5–3.3). Other relevant predictors of complete tooth loss included current smoking status (5.9 pps; 95% CI: 4.5 to 7.2) and secondary education (−6.4 pps (95% CI: −7.0 to −4.8).Overall, self-reported poor mental health was found to be associated with a greater likelihood of reporting complete tooth loss. Findings from this study underscore the need for greater integration of care delivery between behavioral health specialists and dental providers.","PeriodicalId":12463,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Oral Health","volume":"125 24","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140370101","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
N. Potgieter, Viviane Pereira, Roberto Elias, Senda Charone, S. Groisman
{"title":"Remineralization and inactivation of carious lesions treated with silver fluoride in Brazilian children with special healthcare needs","authors":"N. Potgieter, Viviane Pereira, Roberto Elias, Senda Charone, S. Groisman","doi":"10.3389/froh.2024.1345156","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/froh.2024.1345156","url":null,"abstract":"Providing conventional, restorative dental care to children with special healthcare needs (CSHCN) often requires sedation using general anesthesia. Saliva consistency, diet, and oral hygiene practice are different for CSHCN, and limited evidence is available on the efficacy of silver fluoride (SF) for the management of carious lesions for this vulnerable population.Parents of CSHCN were educated about silver fluoride as a treatment option for caries. In total, 550 carious lesions from 100 participants were identified and scored according to the Nyvad Caries criteria. A total of 100 lesions with Nyvad scores 1, 2, and 3 were treated with a single application of silver fluoride and observed postoperatively at 1, 3, and 6 weeks.The results indicate statistically significant (p < 0.05) differences in lesion remineralization over the 6-week follow-up period. At the 6-week follow-up, more than 85% of all lesions were remineralized across all children, regardless of condition or original Nyvad score of 1, 2, or 3.A single application of silver fluoride has demonstrated effectiveness in remineralization and inactivation of carious lesions over 6 weeks among Brazilian CSHCN. Silver fluoride should be considered an option for the management of carious lesions among CSHCN. Further studies are recommended, including larger sample sizes, longer follow-up times, a second application of SF, and different special needs conditions.","PeriodicalId":12463,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Oral Health","volume":"17 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140374439","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sabiha Abdul Aziz Shaikh, Ceena Denny E, Reshma Kumarchandra, Srikant Natarajan, Johan Sunny, Nandita Shenoy, Nandita K. P
{"title":"Evaluation of salivary tumor necrosis factor α as a diagnostic biomarker in oral submucosal fibrosis and squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity and oropharynx: a cross sectional observational study","authors":"Sabiha Abdul Aziz Shaikh, Ceena Denny E, Reshma Kumarchandra, Srikant Natarajan, Johan Sunny, Nandita Shenoy, Nandita K. P","doi":"10.3389/froh.2024.1375162","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/froh.2024.1375162","url":null,"abstract":"Tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) is known to be associated with chronic inflammation, and its expression has been shown to increase in advanced cancers. Chronic inflammation is a characteristic feature of oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF), which is a potentially malignant disorder (PMD). Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is associated with considerable mortality and morbidity and an early detection or monitoring would greatly help in achieving an effective cure. TNF-α was thus evaluated for use as a biomarker in the present study according to the stage of OSMF and histological grade of SCC in the oral cavity and oropharynx.This study included 45 patients divided into 3 groups—OSMF group, SCC group and control group—each comprising 15 participants. Saliva samples were collected from each patient, and salivary TNF-α levels were estimated using an ELISA kit.Statistical analysis revealed no significant differences in TNF-α levels among the OSMF, SCC and control groups; however, there was an increase in the salivary TNF-α level in patients with stage 3 disease according to the clinical stage of OSMF, for which the p value was 0.027.An increase in the TNF-α concentration with increasing clinical stage suggested a role for TNF-α in the spread of OSMF involvement in anatomical structures of the oral cavity and oropharynx. No significant difference in salivary TNF-α levels was noted among the OSMF, SCC and control groups.The study showed a positive correlation of TNF-α with increasing stages of OSMF but was not a reliable biomarker in the categorization of the same.","PeriodicalId":12463,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Oral Health","volume":"124 14","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140378942","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Editorial: Integration of oral health care within the healthcare system","authors":"S. Patro","doi":"10.3389/froh.2024.1387141","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/froh.2024.1387141","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12463,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Oral Health","volume":"53 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140232253","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
E. Figgins, Payal Arora, Denny Gao, Emily Porcelli, Rabab Ahmed, C. Daep, Garrett Keele, Lisa K. Ryan, Gill Diamond
{"title":"Enhancement of innate immunity in gingival epithelial cells by vitamin D and HDAC inhibitors","authors":"E. Figgins, Payal Arora, Denny Gao, Emily Porcelli, Rabab Ahmed, C. Daep, Garrett Keele, Lisa K. Ryan, Gill Diamond","doi":"10.3389/froh.2024.1378566","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/froh.2024.1378566","url":null,"abstract":"The human host defense peptide LL-37 is a component of the innate immune defense mechanisms of the oral cavity against colonization by microbes associated with periodontal disease. We have previously shown that the active form of vitamin D, 1,25(OH)2D3, can induce the expression of LL-37 in gingival epithelial cells (GEC), and prevent the invasion and growth of periopathogenic bacteria in these cells. Further, experimental vitamin D deficiency resulted in increased gingival inflammation and alveolar bone loss. Epidemiological studies have shown associations between vitamin D deficiency and periodontal disease in humans, suggesting application of vitamin D could be a useful therapeutic approach. Further, since we have shown the local activation of vitamin D by enzymes expressed in the GEC, we hypothesized that we could observe this enhancement with the stable, and inexpensive inactive form of vitamin D, which could be further increased with epigenetic regulators.We treated 3-dimensional primary cultures of GEC topically with the inactive form of vitamin D, in the presence and absence of selected histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors. LL-37 mRNA levels were quantified by quantitative RT-PCR, and inhibition of invasion of bacteria was measured by fluorescence microscopy.Vitamin D treatment led to an induction of LL-37 mRNA levels, as well as an inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion. This effect was further enhanced by HDAC inhibitors, most strongly when the HDAC inhibitor, phenyl butyrate (PBA) was combined with Vitamin D3. This was observed both in solution and in a prototype gel formulation using sodium butyrate. Finally, this combination treatment led to an increase in the antimicrobial activity against infection by Porphyromonas gingivalis and Filifactor alocis, bacteria associated with periodontal lesions, as well as herpes simplex virus, which has also been shown to be associated with periodontal lesions.Our results demonstrate that a combination of inactive vitamin D and sodium butyrate could be developed as a safe treatment for periodontal disease.","PeriodicalId":12463,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Oral Health","volume":"21 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140243372","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jessica Sonal Monteiro, Kriti Kaushik, J. D. de Arruda, Eleni Georgakopoulou, Angelica Thomaz Vieira, Tarcilia A. Silva, Darshana Devadiga, C. Anyanechi, Sameep Shetty
{"title":"Fungal footprints in oral cancer: unveiling the oral mycobiome","authors":"Jessica Sonal Monteiro, Kriti Kaushik, J. D. de Arruda, Eleni Georgakopoulou, Angelica Thomaz Vieira, Tarcilia A. Silva, Darshana Devadiga, C. Anyanechi, Sameep Shetty","doi":"10.3389/froh.2024.1360340","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/froh.2024.1360340","url":null,"abstract":"Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common type of head and neck cancer, with a high mortality rate. There is growing evidence supporting a link between oral cancer and the microbiome. The microbiome can impact various aspects of cancer, such as pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. While there is existing information on bacteria and its connection to oral cancer, the fungi residing in the oral cavity represent a significant component of the microbiome that remains in its early stages of exploration and understanding. Fungi comprise a minuscule part of the human microbiome called the mycobiome. Mycobiome is ubiquitous in the human body but a weakened immune system offers a leeway space for fungi to showcase its virulence. The role of mycobiome as a colonizer, facilitator, or driver of carcinogenesis is still ambiguous. Reactivating the mycobiome that undergoes collateral damage associated with cancer treatment can be watershed event in cancer research. The coordinated, virulent, non-virulent behavior of the fungi once they reach a critical density must be hacked, considering its diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic implications in cancer. This review highlights the diversity of the mycobiome and its potential role in oral cancer.","PeriodicalId":12463,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Oral Health","volume":"1 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140243486","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Elaf Asfari, Andrea Rodriguez, Arek Dakessian, Siyang Yuan
{"title":"Exploring refugees' experience of accessing dental health services in host countries: a scoping review","authors":"Elaf Asfari, Andrea Rodriguez, Arek Dakessian, Siyang Yuan","doi":"10.3389/froh.2024.1328862","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/froh.2024.1328862","url":null,"abstract":"Refugees often face worse oral health outcomes, such as periodontal diseases and dental caries in host countries due to barriers including language and cultural differences, institutional discrimination, and restricted use of dental health services. This scoping review aims to map and summarise the available studies on refugees’ experience of accessing dental health services in the host countries, to identify the main characteristics of the dental health services that refugees access and to explore the barriers and enablers to navigate the dental health service system in their host countries.The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) framework was adopted. PubMed, Scopus, Assia, CINAHL and Social Services Abstract were searched. A search strategy was developed using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms and a combination of search operators and syntax used in MEDLINE were adopted for the remaining databases. Data were synthesised using thematic analysis.Fourteen articles were included. Most studies used qualitative methods and Australia seemed to be the country with the highest number of publications surrounding this topic. The included studies showed that refugees frequently encountered substantial obstacles when attempting to access dental services in host countries. Numerous barriers such as language barriers, cultural differences, and lack of health insurance or financial support hindered refugees' ability to access these services. Additionally, many refugees possessed limited knowledge of the dental care system in their new country. As a result of untreated dental problems, refugees suffered from pain and other health complications.This scoping review explored the challenges refugees have experienced in accessing dental health services in host countries, which included the key barriers such as affordability, accessibility, accommodation, availability, awareness, and acceptability. The scarcity of relevant research highlighted the need for a more comprehensive understanding of refugees’ experiences accessing dental health services in host countries. Limited data were identified regarding evidence focusing on the characteristics of dental services accessed by refugees in host countries.","PeriodicalId":12463,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Oral Health","volume":"18 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140248331","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}