Evaluation of possible role of fluoride in pathogenesis of oral submucous fibrosis: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a potentially malignant disorder. Although areca nut chewing is an established risk factor, its low prevalence among nut chewers indicates additional factors likely facilitates pathogenesis. We recently demonstrated high fluoride levels in smokeless tobacco products and hypothesized a potential pathological role of fluoride in OSMF. Further exploring this novel role, this study compared fluoride levels in tissue, serum, and saliva samples from OSMF patients and healthy controls. METHODS: The ethically approved study included 25 clinically confirmed OSMF patients and 25 healthy matched controls. OSMF cases underwent buccal mucosal incisional biopsy, while controls had buccal mucosa tissue sampling during third molar removal. Fasting venous blood and unstimulated saliva were collected. Fluoride levels were analysed using ion chromatography and expressed as median (IQR). RESULTS: OSMF cases showed significantly higher fluoride concentrations compared with controls in tissue biopsies (30.1 vs. 0 mg/kg, p < 0.0001), serum (0.4 vs. 0 mg/L, p = 0.005) and saliva (1.3 vs. 0 mg/L, p < 0.0001). Majority (68%) of controls had undetectable fluoride levels across all samples. Tissue fluoride weakly correlated with OSMF severity (r = -0.158, p = 0.334). CONCLUSION: The preliminary findings demonstrated increased tissue fluoride levels in OSMF patients compared with healthy controls. Along with a previous study showing high fluoride content in smokeless tobacco products, these findings provided early evidence suggesting fluoride could play a contributory role in OSMF pathogenesis. Further large-scale investigation is warranted to definitively establish whether the association between fluoride exposure and OSMF is indicative of causation.

A bibliometric analysis of the top 100 most-cited articles in the Journal of Oral Pathology & Medicine (1972-2020).

OBJECTIVE: The steady and continued increase of the Journal of Oral Pathology & Medicine's (JOPM) popularity prompted a bibliometric analysis of the journal. The purpose was to assess the significance and effect of the published research articles in the Journal from 1972 and 2020, aiding the identification of landmark articles. We performed a bibliometric analysis using the top 100 cited papers in the Journal of Oral Pathology & Medicine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An extensive review of the Web of Science was undertaken. Standard information such as author details, affiliated institutions, publication year and the country of origin was recorded. RESULTS: The top 100 cited articles in JOPM were assessed. The maximum and minimum number of citations in the top 100 articles was 1459 and 95, respectively. A total of 16 790 citations were recorded for these 100 articles. Authors were affiliated to 28 different countries, 17 research articles from the UK and 12 from the USA. Other countries furnished seven or fewer articles. CONCLUSION: This bibliometric analysis provides a synopsis of research published in the journal over a 48-year period. Recent interest in the journal shows a healthy increase in submissions and profile.

Long-term effectiveness of lycopene in the management of oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF): A 3-years follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: Long-term follow-ups after receiving lycopene therapy for management of oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) are scarce. The study aimed to assess the long-term efficacy of lycopene for management of OSMF symptoms. METHODS: In this prospective clinical study, 400 clinically diagnosed early OSMF patients were assessed for the efficacy of lycopene in alleviation of burning sensation (BS) and reduced mouth opening (MO) symptoms in comparison to placebo. After 1-year follow-up, group A (lycopene group) was divided equally into group A1 and group A2. group A1 patients were retreated with lycopene and the A2 group was followed without retreatment. After 2-year follow-up, the Group A2 patients were advised retreatment but not followed as most of the patient did not agree for follow-up. However, group A1 patients were continued to follow-up every 6 months for a total three years. Statistical analysis was by independent sample t-test and P-value <.05 were considered as significant. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference (P < .05) in BS and MO was found between group A and B with lycopene showing better results. At one-year follow-up, a statistically significant recurrence in the symptoms was found (P < .05) in the lycopene group (group A). After the second intervention, there was a statistically significant difference in the improvement of symptoms between the group A1 and A2 at 6 months and 1 year (P < .05) with group A1 (retreatment) showing better results. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with lycopene led to improvement in the symptoms of OSMF in the present study. The results highlight the importance of retreatment of lycopene for its long-term effect on alleviation the symptoms of OSMF.

Efficacy of scaffold-mediated localized chemotherapy in cancer: A systematic review of current research.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of scaffold-mediated localized chemotherapy in cancer. METHODS: Databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, and SCOPUS were searched for articles reporting the use of scaffold-mediated localized drug delivery in cancer. Essential data including scaffold fabrication material and methods, drug dosage and release duration and its effect on the cancer cells were extracted. RESULTS: 15 articles out of 60 screened, fulfilled the eligibility criteria. Among the 15 studies, 5 studies included only cell lines and 2 studies were on mouse models, while 8 studies involved a combination of cell lines and mouse models. Scaffold materials included both synthetic polymers such as poly-lactide, polycaprolactone and natural materials including d-periosteum and human micro-fragmented adipose tissueA wide number of other variables included the fabrication procedure, drugs used, and the methods used to assess the effects on cancer. As a result, it was not possible to make any direct comparison of the efficacy of the therapeutic strategy used in each of these studies. CONCLUSION: Irrespective of the many variables, a common consensus in all the included studies was that scaffold mediated localized drug delivery effectively reduced cancer cell viability by increasing drug bioavailability to the target tissue, while its localized effect reduced the risk of systemic toxicity.