Application of the Photodynamic Therapy in Medicine and Dentistry - Literature Review on Photodynamic and Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is recently being recognized as an attractive, non-invasive and alternative treatment method for precancerous lesions and superficial cancers. PDT has many advantages when compared with conventional treatment modalities. It has also been used for the photoinactivation of microbes. There is an increasing interest in the practical application of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) in many branches of dentistry, especially in periodontology, for the management of such conditions as chronic periodontitis or periimplantitis. The aim of the present paper was to discuss the application of photodynamic therapy in medicine and dentistry. The results of many so far published studies seem to be very promising indicating at the same time that further research is needed to establish the optimal protocol for effective photodestruction of tumor cells and microorganisms.