Oral infections in oral cancer survivors: A mini-review.

The oral cancer survivors are a group of special individuals whose disease affect anatomical structures with a key role in identity and communication and a fundamental role in basic human functions such as speaking, eating, swallowing and breathing. Thus, quality of life of these individuals can be impaired by the consequences of disease and treatments, in particular surgery and radiotherapy. Among others, infectious conditions of any nature, bacterial, viral, fungal, are a frequent finding among oral cancer survivors. In fact, the peculiar systemic and local conditions of these subjects are known to significantly modify the microbiota, which, besides facilitating opportunistic infections, can affect the cancer microenvironment, as well as alter the effects of the anti-cancer therapies. Similarly, mouth infections can also affect the prognosis of oral cancer survivors. Among the opportunistic infections, fungal are the most common infections affecting these subjects, since neutropenia resulting from cancer, as well as chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy treatments, promote the shift from the carrier state of Candida species, to pathogen state. Treatment of oral candidiasis can be difficult in oral cancer survivors, and good evidence supports clotrimazole as the most effective for prevention, and fluconazole as the one with the best risk-benefit profile. Probiotics, although promising, need better evidence to be considered an effective treatment or preventive measure.

Chronic mechanical trauma/irritation and oral carcinoma: A systematic review showing low evidence to support an association.

BACKGROUND: Chronic trauma of oral mucosa, resulting from repeated and persistent mechanical irritative action of an intraoral injury agent, has repeatedly been reported to be possibly implicated in the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). OBJECTIVES: The present systematic review aimed to assess whether chronic mechanical trauma can be considered a risk factor for OSCC. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, CENTRAL (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials), Scopus; EMBASE, Web of Science. STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Cohort studies comparing OSCC incidence among subjects with/without chronic mechanical trauma or case-control or cross-sectional studies comparing chronic mechanical trauma among subjects with/without OSCC. RESULTS: Only one prospective case-control study fulfilled the inclusion criteria, but the quality of the evidence provided is not enough to define trauma as a risk factor for OSCC. The main limitation is the presence of only one case-control study at high risk of bias. In the absence of strong evidence supporting the role of trauma in OSCC, a thorough discussion on trauma and carcinogenesis has been performed. CONCLUSIONS: Available evidence does not support an active role for chronic trauma in oral carcinogenesis, neither as promoter nor as progressor factor. Prospective cohort studies able to better assess trauma in OSCC are needed.

World workshop on oral medicine VII: Direct anticoagulant agents management for invasive oral procedures: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: This systematic review aimed to evaluate the current literature regarding the importance of discontinuing or not discontinuing direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) before invasive oral procedures, and to establish the frequency and type of postoperative bleeding events in patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library up until November 5, 2018. Selection of the studies, extraction of data, qualitative, and bias assessment was performed independently by two authors. RESULTS: Twenty-one studies were included. No randomized controlled studies were identified. Six studies reported a direct comparison between patients taking DOACs and those who discontinued DOACs. The meta-analysis of these studies resulted in an OR of 0.92 (95% CI = 0.37-2.27, I2  = 9%) for postoperative bleeding events for patients taking DOACs. We found that 59/497 (11.8%) postoperative bleeding events occurred in patients who continued DOACs, while 27/200 (13.5%) events were reported for patients who discontinued treatment. All postoperative bleeding events were controlled with local measures. CONCLUSION: Results from the included studies did not discern any important differences in postoperative bleeding events in patients who continued versus patients who discontinued DOACs. Furthermore, no thromboembolic events were recorded. However, the low quality of the studies must be considered.

World Workshop on Oral Medicine VII: Non-opioid pain management of head and neck chemo/radiation-induced mucositis: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the current evidence regarding the effectiveness of non-opioid interventions for the therapeutic management of pain in head and neck cancer patients with oral mucositis resulting from radiotherapy only or chemoradiotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature search was conducted which included randomised controlled trials that assessed patient-related outcome of pain in patients with oral mucositis associated with radiation therapy only or chemoradiotherapy. Literature searches were conducted in MEDLINE via Pubmed, Embase, Scopus and CINAHL. RESULTS: The electronic searches identified 846 articles. Screening revealed that six articles met all eligibility inclusion criteria. Interventions showing statistically significant benefits to reduce oral mucositis associated pain compared to placebo included doxepin (p < 0.001, 95% CI -6.7 to -2.1), amitriptyline (p = 0.04), diclofenac (p < 0.01) and benzydamine (p = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: Non-opioid interventions, including topical doxepin, amitriptyline, diclofenac and benzydamine, were found to provide relief of pain due to mucositis, and when effective may allow for reduction in the use of opioids in pain management.

Erbium Yttrium-Aluminum-Garnet Laser Versus Traditional Bur in the Extraction of Impacted Mandibular Third Molars: Analysis of Intra- and Postoperative Differences.

INTRODUCTION: Different osteotomy techniques have been proposed in order to improve postoperative course of impacted third molar extraction. The aim is to evaluate the possible advantages achieved with erbium yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Er:YAG) laser osteotomy compared with traditional burs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-six extractions were randomly classified into 2 groups according to osteotomy instrument: group 1 (G1)-Er:YAG laser: 35 patients; group 2 (G2)-traditional bur: 41 patients. Intraoperative parameters: total time, stitches number, and patient compliance. Postoperative: pain, health-related quality of life (HR-QoL), need for analgesics, edema, trismus, intra- and extraoral hematoma, and postoperative complications. RESULTS: Mean time for G1 resulted 1069.4 seconds; for G2 1913.5 seconds (P < 0.0001). Mean number of stitches (P = 0.773) and patient compliance (P = 0.063) were not statistically different. Regarding pain, mean visual analog scale (VAS), and numeric rating scale (NRS) scores were lower in G1 than in G2. Statistically significant differences were highlighted at days 0, 1, and 3 with VAS scale and at days 0, 1, 3, and 7 with NRS scale. The HR-QoL scores resulted lower in G1 than in G2 (P < 0.0001). Mean facial swelling and trismus resulted statistically lower in G1 than in G2 at day 2 (P < 0.0001). Trismus resulted statistically lower in G1 than in G2 at days 2 (P < 0.0001) and 7 (P = 0.004). Two patients (5.71%) of subcutaneous emphysema was recorded in G1 and 2 patients (4.88%) of lip paresthesia in G2. CONCLUSION: Data confirm that the use of Er:YAG laser for osteotomy may achieve several advantages both technical and biological.

Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw: risk factors in patients under biphosphonate versus patients under antiresorptive-antiangiogenic drugs.

BACKGROUND: Biphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) is a potential side effect associated with the administration of bisphosphonates; the aim of this work is to highlight the possible epidemiological differences between two groups of patients affected by medication related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) treated at the Center of Oral Medicine, Pathology and Laser Surgery of the Academic Hospital at the University of Parma, Italy, between January 2004 and June 2016. METHODS: Medical charts of 303 patients (214 females and 89 males, mean age: 67 years old) treated at the Center of Oral Medicine, Pathology and Laser Surgery of the Academic Hospital at the University of Parma, between January 2004 and June 2016, were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided in 2 groups according to drugs therapy they underwent: group 1 (G1) including patients treated with bisphosphonates alone and group 2 (G2) including patients receiving antiresorptive-antiangiogenic drugs in association with bisphosphonates or antiresorptive-antiangiogenic drugs alone. Than 269 MRONJ sites treated with 5 different therapeutical approaches were analyzed. RESULTS: Results showed G1 consisting mainly in female patients undergoing bisphosphonates for oncologic disease, stage II was most frequently diagnosed and MRONJ developed mainly after dental extraction or bone surgery. G2 consisted mainly in males patients, whom took antiresorptive-antiangiogenic drugs in association with bisphosphonate or antiresorptive-antiangiogenic drugs alone for oncologic disease. Stage II was most frequently diagnosed and MRONJ developed most frequently "spontaneous". CONCLUSIONS: This study showed how a new population affected by MRONJ is emerging. Men affected by kidney cancer treated with new antiresorptive-antiangiogenic drugs will represent a growing portion of the pool of patients at risk. In our experience, a strict follow-up is of outmost importance to early detect MRONJ also in patients with spontaneous cases. When MRONJ occurs, surgical laser treatment with Er:YAG seems to represent the option with highest percentage of success; for patients with contraindication to surgery, LLLT helps to improve outcomes of the medical therapy.

Effect of different wavelengths and dyes on Candida albicans: In vivo study using Galleria mellonella as an experimental model.

BACKGROUND: Studies on photodynamic inactivation against microorganisms had a great development in recent years. The aim of this work was to test the application of different laser wavelengths with or without different photosensitizing dyes on Candida albicans cells in vitro and in photodynamic therapy protocols in vivo in larvae of Galleria mellonella. METHODS: Laser application was realized on C. albicans cells suspended in saline solution or cultured on solid medium for the in vitro study, and in a model of G. mellonella candidal infection for the in vivo study. Three wavelengths (650, 405, and 532nm) were used in continuous mode with different values of applied fluences: 10, 20 and 30J/cm2 for the in vitro study and 10J/cm2 for the in vivo study, without and with photosensitizing dyes. RESULTS: No growth inhibition was obtained on yeast cells in saline solution without photosensitizers. The maximum inhibition of growth (100%) was obtained with 405nm diode laser and curcumin at any used fluence. No growth inhibition was observed for yeast cells cultured on solid medium after laser application without dyes. An inhibition was observed after laser application when curcumin and erythrosine were added to the medium. The survival curves of G. mellonella larvae infected with C. albicans with or without the different dyes and after laser application showed a statistically significant difference (p<0.001) in comparison with the proper control groups. CONCLUSIONS: These results show the efficacy of photodynamic inactivation exploiting a suitable combination of light and dyes against C. albicans and the potential of photodynamic therapy for the treatment of candidal infections.

Medication-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw Around Dental Implants: Implant Surgery-Triggered or Implant Presence-Triggered Osteonecrosis?

INTRODUCTION: Dentoalveolar surgery including tooth extractions and dental implants placement is considered the major risk factor for developing medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ).In this study, a patient series of MRONJ around dental implants were carefully analyzed to describe the findings and to assess the possible risk factors. METHODS: Fifteen patients with peri-implant bone osteonecrosis were selected out of a group of 250 patients (6%). Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the temporal relationship. Group 1 (G1)-necrosis immediately after implant placement (from 2 to 10 months) and defined as "implant surgery-triggered" MRONJ. Group 2-necrosis distant (from 1 to 15 years) from implant placement and defined as "implant presence-triggered" MRONJ. Epidemiological and pharmacological variables were recorded as well as specific data about osteonecrosis and dental implants. RESULTS: G1 included 6 patients: 5 (83.4%) treated with oral bisphosphonates (BPs) for osteoporosis and 1 (16.6%) with intravenous BPs for breast cancer. Mean duration of BP therapy (BPT) was 83.7 months. G2 included 9 patients: 8 patients (88.89%) treated with intravenous BPs for malignant disease and 1 (11.11%) with oral BPs for osteoporosis. CONCLUSIONS: Data confirms that not only surgical insertion of dental implants is a potential risk factor for the development of osteonecrosis but also the presence itself of the implant into the bone can be associated with this disease. Therefore, it is necessary to inform of the increased risk for MRONJ also the patients who have already osteointegrated implants and are going to start the BPT.The risk is lower for patients receiving oral BPs but it exists and seems to be higher if the implant is located in the posterior areas, if the duration of BPT is more than 3 years and if the patient is under corticosteroid therapy.

Ultra-Thin Veneers Without Tooth Preparation in Extensive Oligodontia.

Dental agenesis is the most commonly encountered dental anomaly in humans. Oligodontia, however, is a rare condition that involves the congenital absence of six or more teeth, excluding the third molars. Treatment of oligodontia requires an interdisciplinary approach. The prosthetic treatment plan should carefully consider esthetic and functional rehabilitation but should take a conservative approach. Adhesive techniques, combined with the new ceramic materials, permit functional and esthetic prosthetic restorations that are more conservative in comparison to those used in the past. Ultrathin occlusal veneers without tooth preparations may represent a good esthetic and conservative approach for oral rehabilitation of patients affected by severe hypodontia.

Medication-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw: An Autofluorescence-Guided Surgical Approach Performed with Er:YAG Laser.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to propose an autofluorescence (AF)-guided surgical approach performed with Er:YAG laser and Nd:YAG low-level laser therapy (LLLT). BACKGROUND DATA: Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) therapy remains an unresolved problem. The proposed conservative and surgical treatment regimens are associated with contradictory success rates. However, the increased experience with MRONJ management suggests that surgical therapy can halt disease progression, and can allow a histology-based diagnosis of osteonecrosis. Surgical approach with Er:YAG laser is associated with significantly better results compared with medical treatment and traditional surgical approaches. One of the difficulties encountered during surgical removal of a MRONJ is the precise individuation of necrotic bone margins. PATIENT AND METHODS: A case of Stage III maxillary osteonecrosis treated with a new surgical approach is presented. RESULTS: After 7 months of follow-up, complete mucosal healing was evident, and the patient was free of symptoms. Such a technique allowed a highly accurate and minimally invasive approach through the selective ablation of the non-/hypofluorescent areas. CONCLUSIONS: Taking into account the advantages of laser therapy and the possible effectiveness of AF in highlighting surgical margins, this approach would probably achieve excellent outcomes.

Efficacy of LLLT in swelling and pain control after the extraction of lower impacted third molars.

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) can facilitate wound healing stimulating a more rapid resolution and an earlier start for the proliferation phase. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of LLLT on postoperative pain and oedema following the removal of impacted lower third molars. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-nine patients, who were to undergo surgical removal of their lower third molars, were studied. Patients were randomly allocated to one of three groups: 17 patients LLLT + traditional drug treatment17 patients traditional drug treatment as control group25 patients treated with LLLT only on one side+traditional drug treatment. The laser we have used for this study is a diode laser, GaAs, which delivers both in the infrared band at the wavelength of 910 nanometers (pulsed and superpulsed source), and in the visible (continuous source) at the wavelength of 650 nanometers (red). LLLT was performed just after the intervention and approximately 12 hours after surgery delivering 240 J in 15 minutes with theoretical fluence values of 480 J/cm(2) and 31 J/cm(2) for every minute of irradiation. We considered and signed with a label constant landmarks on both sides of the face of each patient; measurements were taken: before the surgery, after the surgery right after the 1st laser treatment, after approximately 24 hours after the 2(nd) laser treatment. RESULTS: We collected all the values of the oedema measurements and the VAS reports and performed a statistical analysis by means One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test: for the evaluated values (X, Y, Z) an extremely significant difference was found with p values of 0.003 for Y at the first evaluation (pre-12 hours) and less than 0.001 for the other evaluations. A significant result was obtained for VAS recorded at hospital discharge (p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that LLLT is effective on postoperative pain and oedema accelerating healing time and reducing patients distress.

Tooth extractions in high-risk patients under bisphosphonate therapy and previously affected with osteonecrosis of the jaws: surgical protocol supported by low-level laser therapy.

Trauma during dental surgery is a predisposing factor for medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (MRONJ). There are no specific guidelines for the management of dental extractions in patients under bisphosphonate therapy (BPT). The authors proposed in 2013 a successful protocol for tooth extractions in patients under BPT supported by Nd:YAG low-level laser therapy (LLLT). The aim of this study was to validate the safety and efficacy of this protocol reporting the data related to its application in a particular category of patients under BPT at high risk for MRONJ and who were previously affected with MRONJ. Eighty-two tooth extractions were performed in 36 patients previously affected with MRONJ. Antibiotic treatment was administered 3 days before and 2 weeks after tooth extractions. Patients were additionally treated with Nd:YAG LLLT, 5 applications of 1 minute each. Patients were evaluated 3 days and once a week for 2 months after the extractions and every time they received LLLT. In a total of 82 extractions, minimal bone exposure was observed in 2 cases, treated with Er:YAG laser vaporization and then completely healed. The data confirmed that laser biostimulation is a reliable technique that can be considered in the surgical protocol for patients under BPT.

Odontogenic myxofibroma: a concise review of the literature with emphasis on the surgical approach.

PURPOSE: The aim of this work is to report a review of the literature concerning epidemiology, clinical and radiographic features as well as treatment of odontogenic myxofibroma (MF). METHODS: The PubMed database was searched using the following keywords: "odontogenic myxofibroma", "odontogenic fibromyxoma", "myxofibroma of the jaw" and "fibromyxoma of the jaw". RESULTS: Fifteen articles reporting the experience with 24 patients were identified. Male/female ratio was 1:1.4 and the average age 29.5 years. The most frequent location was the mandible. In 66.7% of the cases the radiographic appearance was a multilocular radiolucency. Swelling was observed in 13 patients (92.86%), varying degrees of pain in 5 (35.71%) and paresthesia in only one patient (7.14%). Six out of 24 patients (26.09%) were treated with radical surgery and 17 out of 24 (73.91%) with a conservative approach. In two out of 21 cases (9.52%) a recurrence was reported. CONCLUSIONS: MF is an extremely rare tumour and no agreement exist on the causes of its development. According to the present review, the choice of treatment should depend on variables such as localization, presence of a primary or of a recurrent lesion, age, general medical conditions and aesthetic needs of the patient.

Massive mandibular destruction and alveolar nerve infiltration without lower lip paresthesia in primary intraosseous carcinoma: report of two cases and critical appraisal of diagnostic criteria.

OBJECTIVE: To report two cases of solid type primary intraosseous carcinoma (PIOC) with a critical appraisal of one of the WHO diagnostic criteria. SUMMARY: Both patients had radiographic and histopathologic findings showing massive mandibular destruction as well as the involvement of the inferior alveolar nerve, without lip or chin paresthesia. Patients were treated through hemimandibulectomy followed by reconstruction through fibula free flap and forearm flap. CONCLUSION: Lip and/ or chin paresthesia are rather frequent in metastatic and salivary gland tumors but not in primary tumors of the jaws. Reasons for such a discrepancy are mostly unknown. A few hypotheses are put forward here. It is the opinion of the authors that most of the diagnostic criteria for solid type PIOC are acceptable. However, the criterion "absence of ulcer formation on the overlying mucosa" mainly depends on the dimension of the tumor at diagnosis.

Soft tissue chondroma of the oral cavity: an extremely rare tumour localized on the hard palate.

Chondromas are benign cartilaginous tumors usually localized within the tubular bones of the extremities. Soft tissue chondromas (STCs) are rare and only few cases have been reported in the oral cavity. The present case documents the exceptional finding of a 12-year-standing STC of the hard palate of a 63-year-old man. The tumor measured approximately 6 cm in its larger size and it was radically excised through the use of a quantic resonance molecular (QRM) lancet. No recurrence was observed during 1-year follow-up. A concise review of the relevant literature is included in the present paper.

Conservative surgical management of stage I bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw.

Purpose. To report the efficacy of conservative surgical treatment for stage I bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ). Materials and Methods. This study reports the clinical outcomes of 63 patients treated for BRONJ stage I (according to Ruggiero's staging system) at the Oral Pathology and Laser-Assisted Surgery Unit of the University of Parma between January 2004 and January 2011. Surgical interventions were performed, under local analgesia, in patients unresponsive for a period of six months to noninvasive treatments such as cycles of local or systemic antibacterial therapy combined or not to low level laser therapy, ozone therapy, or Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. All interventions were performed after the consultation of oncologist or physician. Results. In our experience, conservative surgical treatment is associated with the highest number of BRONJ healed sites in stage I disease. Complete healing was observed in 92.6% of sites surgically treated. Conclusions. This study confirms that treatment of patients affected by minimal bone exposition, (stage I of BRONJ), through conservative surgical strategies, possibly with laser, may result in a high control of the disease in the long term.

Quantic molecular resonance scalpel vs traditional scalpel in the treatment of labial mucocele: a two-center randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this randomized two-center study was to compare quantic molecular resonance scalpel (QMRS) with traditional scalpel (TS) for the surgical treatment of labial mucoceles, in terms of impact on quality of life and postoperative pain (primary outcomes) and postsurgical lip paresthesia and recurrence of the lesion (secondary outcomes). METHOD AND MATERIALS: Eighty-five consecutive patients with labial mucoceles were randomized to receive traditional (46) or QMRS surgery (39) in two Italian University Hospital Centers. Patients were asked to complete three different forms during the first week after surgery to evaluate quality of life and postoperative pain. Periodic follow-up examinations were conducted at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after surgery, in order to detect recurrence of lesion and/or lip paresthesia. RESULTS: Regarding the symptoms reported during the first week after surgery, questionnaires given to the patients and the mean painkiller consumption did not demonstrate any statistically significant differences within the two groups. Women treated with QMRS reported a worse experience than women treated with TS (P < .05). Among all the mucoceles treated, during the follow-up period of 3 months, one that had been eliminated with the cold scalpel was seen to relapse, versus none of those treated with the QMRS (P = 1.0). We reported a localized and terminal paresthesia of the labial mucosa close to the surgical site in 10.58% of the total patients. Comparing the QMRS with TS, we observed a greater incidence of neurologic complications with the latter technique (P = .035). CONCLUSION: This is the first prospective randomized study to report outcome data and 3-month follow-up of a cohort of patients suffering from labial mucoceles. QMRS for surgical removal of labial mucoceles seems to be comparable to traditional scalpel in terms of postoperative quality of life, pain, and postsurgical lip paresthesia.