Małgorzata Radwan-Oczko

Background: Oral Lichen Planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory, autoimmune disorder affecting the skin and mucosa classified within the broad group of Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders (OPMDs). Topical treatment is usually effective in resolving the oral inflammation associated with the process, and the possible relationship to a systemic immunological reaction has not been widely discussed. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between local and systemic inflammatory signatures in OLP by identifying potential markers in salivary and serum samples, as well as the topical treatment used to relieve inflammation. Methods: The study design was a cross-sectional case–control hospital-based study. A total of 50 blood samples, comprising 31 patients with OLP (study group) and 19 individuals without OLP status (control group), were tested for HLA-B27 in this study. Salivary and serum levels of Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), matrix metalloprotease 8 (MMP-8), and human IL-1 beta (IL-1β) were measured within and between the control and OLP groups. Results: Salivary IL-1β levels were significantly higher in the OLP group than in controls (p = 0.001; W = 101.5). Serum MMP-8 concentrations were significantly lower in patients with OLP. Serum PGE2 levels were elevated in the OLP group; however, the difference was only borderline statistically significant after correction. HLA-B27 allele frequency in the study and control groups was compared with that in the Polish population. Using Fisher’s Exact Test for Count Data, p-value = 0.1404, no statistically significant differences were found between the control and study groups. Conclusions: These findings could suggest that inflammatory activity in OLP might be predominantly localized to the oral cavity rather than systemic. Elevated salivary IL-1β and reduced systemic MMP-8 levels could support the concept of local immune dysregulation; moreover, salivary IL-1β may serve as a potential non-invasive biomarker for the diagnosis and monitoring of OLP. Studies involving a larger number of subjects should be conducted to strengthen the provided conclusion.

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory T cell-mediated disease that is classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an oral potentially malignant disorder (OPMD). Despite the heightened interest in the influence of human papillomavirus (HPV) on oral cancer, the overall incidence of HPV affecting patients with OLP remains inconclusive. The study aimed to evaluate the presence of alpha-, betaand gamma-HPVs in saliva samples collected from 31 OLP patients and 19 control volunteers. This hospital-based study has the advantage of providing comprehensive clinical data and oral health history, along with saliva analysis for HPV in the specific OPMD. The DNA extracted from saliva samples obtained from patients with a clinical presentation of OLP, classified as ICD-10:L43, was analyzed using HPV type-specific bead-based multiplex genotyping assays to detect 21 mucosal alpha-, 46 betaand 52 gamma-HPV types. The most common HPV type was HPV-49, with a statistically significant difference found between the OLP and control groups (p < 0.05). There was no statistical correlation between high-risk (HR) HPVs (HPV-16 and HPV-18) and OLP in the studied population. Positive results for the mucosal types of DNA in the saliva were associated with the positive beta and gamma types that were consistently identified in the analyzed biomaterial. Beta-HPV-49 was significantly more prevalent in the saliva of patients with OLP. There was no relationship between HR HPVs and the OLP status, which represents the difference between OLP studied in this research and other OPMDs.

Oral inflammation and the immune response are distinct but related processes where Linum usitatissimum L., fam. Linaceae represents a possible use for localized relief. Oral lichen planus (OLP) is an oral potentially malignant disorder (OPMD) with an inflammatory background that mainly affects post- and peri-menopausal women. The presented methodology was threefold. Firstly, the plant extracts were made from flaxseeds of selected cultivars (Szafir [SZ] and Jantarol [JA]) containing plant lignans. In silico docking affinity was performed to verify the beta and alpha estrogen receptors of keratinocytes’ (ERα and ERβ) affinity for lignans from the plant extracts. Lastly, tests using living keratinocyte cell lines were performed. Adding the studied extracts from two cultivars of flaxseed—JA and SZ (10 µg/mL) reduced lipopolysaccharides (LPS)—induced cell inflammation markers levels of COX-2 and IL-6. The effect of JA was more pronounced than that of SZ, with statistical significance (p < 0.05). A high in silico affinity was provided during secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) docking to ERα and ERβ. Flaxseed’s action could be based on the docking affinity of its major components to the estrogen receptors and the overall concentration of the elements of the extracts.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating, progressive, and neurodegenerative disease. The cause of this condition remains unknown. Diagnosing and monitoring the course of this disease requires the use of time-consuming, costly, and invasive methods such as magnetic resonance imaging and cerebrospinal fluid analysis. To date, no specific diagnostic tests for MS are available. The purpose of this publication is to answer the question of whether saliva, as a mirror of oral and general health and easily obtainable test material, can be a significant source of information on etiological factors, biomarkers, and indicators of disease progression and whether analysis of substances in saliva is sensitive enough to replace plasma, urine, or cerebrospinal fluid. For this purpose, a systematic search of databases was conducted: PubMed, Google Scholar, and Embase.

Background: MS patients experience gradual and progressive functional limitation, bulbar symptoms, cognitive dysfunction, and psychiatric disorders that can impinge on oral status. This study aimed to investigate the oral state, oral hygiene habits, and salivary cortisol levels in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) compared to healthy controls. It also evaluated systemic parameters: disease duration, type of Disease Modifying Therapy (DMT), disability score, professional activity, and smoking in the study group. Methods: This study included 101 patients (71 women and 30 men, aged 16–71 years) and 51 healthy volunteers (36 women and 15 men, aged 28–82 years). The oral examination assessed the number of teeth, type and number of dental fillings and prosthetic restoration, oral hygiene state, and salivary cortisol. Results: It was found that MS patients had significantly more professional activity, swallowing problems, pronunciation issues, dry mouth, and taste disturbances than the control group. They brushed their teeth twice daily significantly less often. The API was higher, while the SBI was lower in MS patients. Disease duration positively correlated with age and number of missing teeth. The Expanded Disability Status Scale positively correlated with age, disease duration, number of missing teeth, number of composite fillings, and right and left-hand Nine Hole Peg test scores, and negatively correlated with the Sulcus Bleeding Index. Salivary cortisol levels did not differ between groups and correlated only with the disability scale. Conclusions: MS patients require ongoing dental care and preventive measures to manage both general and oral health symptoms effectively.

Background and Objectives: An oral lichen planus (OLP) chronic lesion refers to a group of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) that still lack a proper understanding from the point of view of relevant biomarkers for diagnostics and prognosis. The aim of the study was to assess the salivary histamine levels in patients with oral lichen planus lesions. Materials and Methods: The study included a group of 76 patients with oral lichen planus. General diseases and medication taken, smoking habits, severity of pain assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS), oral hygiene status, and duration of OLP were evaluated. ELISA diagnostics for histamines in saliva levels were assessed. Results: The histamine levels in the OLP group were higher (0.468) in comparison with the control group (0.056), without a statistically significant value p = 0.090 (Mann–Whitney U Test). The median age of 76 OLP patients was 63 years (min 22.0–max. 81), with the biological sex being 80.3% females and 15 19.7% males. The average duration of OLP lesion presence was 29.4 months (SD 37.1) and the median value was 14.5 months. The median of the VAS was 3.0. OLP assessment in accordance with the Malhotra methodology showed the highest frequency—30.3% for only two of the point areas involved and 17.1% for three points. Clinical assessment of the different OLP grades, severity, and oral site involvement and the VAS in correlation with histamine salivary levels showed a lack of statistical significance in the investigated population. Conclusions: Undertaking further research could provide further possibilities for searching for general factors in OLP development.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has spread very rapidly around the world. Various regional and national lockdowns were imposed to control the spread. Meanwhile, vaccine development and population vaccination were the next steps for pandemic control. Workers in the dental field, both dentists and dental assistants, however, were close to the sources of aerosol generated during dental procedures and thus were the group of workers the most exposed to COVID-19 infection. The aim of our study was to monitor the immune response before and after the vaccine in a high-risk population, composed by dental professionals. Methods: A clinical prospective study was carried out among dental professionals at the Academic Dental Polyclinic, Wroclaw Medical University (Wrocław, Lower Silesia region, Poland). Blood samples were collected at an interval of one year – March/April 2020, before the vaccination against COVID-19, and April 2021, after the vaccination. The analysis was performed on serum with four different methods: qualitative, semi-quantitative, and quantitative IgG count for SARS-CoV-2, and SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies. Results: A total of 42 healthy adult volunteers participated in the study. The results showed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) in antibody levels before and after vaccination (1st and 2nd measurement) for each test method. The tests that were used affected the results and the test that showed the strongest relationship with the result was the Qualitative test. Conclusions: Dental professionals are the adult working population most at risk for COVID-19. Monitoring SARS-CoV-2-status-related seropositivity can provide useful information occupational risk factors for dental professionals.

The prevalence of oral mucosa lesions (OMLs) among children varies from 4.1% up to 69.5%. There is a lack of sufficient epidemiological data and adequate knowledge about OMLs in relation to minors’ gender and age. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of OMLs in children, patients of the oral pathology clinic in south-western parts of Poland, and to investigate the potential correlation between the occurrence of particular types of OMLs and the gender and age. A retrospective study was performed using a total of 2474 clinical charts from 2015 to 2019. Data collected included age, gender, and OMLs’ type. The prevalence of OMLs in minors was 5.21%. Aphthae was the most frequent diagnosis. Boys were more commonly affected, and traumatic erosion and ulcers were significantly more often detected in males. The mean age of children was 8 y/o, preschoolers were significantly more often diagnosed with geographic tongue, while Morsicatio buccarum was significantly more common in school children and adolescents. Clinicians should be familiar with OMLs prevalence and with its specific frequency in connection to age and gender of children. Furthermore, they should be aware of the diversity of OMLs found in the oral cavity of children and that their frequency in the pediatric population is different from that in adults.

This study aimed to discuss some inborn and acquired changes in the oral cavity in young children under three years of age. Based on current literature, eruption cyst, Riga-Fede disease, natal and neonatal teeth, congenital epulis, Epstein pearls, Bohn’s nodules, and gingival cyst of the newborns have been described. The symptoms, clinical presentation, and histological features of these changes, their epidemiology, prevalence, etiopathogenesis, differential diagnosis, and management were taken into consideration to present them accurately. Described oral normal findings and anomalies are not very common, so they require precise diagnosis and management properly. Having relevant knowledge on issues is important both for the pediatricians and pediatric dentists who always cooperate to distinguish the pathology or anomaly and start dealing with it. To our knowledge, this is the first literature review presenting comprehensive and thorough specification of abnormalities occurring in children’s mouth, basing on the most recent scientific literature between 1999 and 2022.