Application of Photodynamic Therapy in Oral Medicine

Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, clinical efforts and scientific research are increasingly aimed toward the development of new aid tools and minimally invasive techniques for novel therapeutic approach. Photodynamic concepts arise as a considerable development area of research for both diagnostic (photodynamic diagnosis) and therapeutic clinical applications. Photodynamic diagnosis (PDD) appears to enable the visualization of irregular lesion shapes more precisely than classical white-light examination. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is considered a viable treatment option in several branches of oral medicine. The therapeutic effects of PDT derive from use of a light radiation on tissue treated with photosensitizers. By photoactivating with a radiant source of photosensitizing molecules, it is in fact possible to induce necrosis at the level of the lysosomes and at level of the cell membranes in which the photosensitizers are located. The oxidative damage induced by PDT consists of the release of cytochrome c and other mitochondrial factors, therefore bypassing the standard programmed cell death mechanisms. The photosensitizers can be systemically or topically delivered to the site to be treated; in both cases, the photosensitizing molecule will accumulate in the mitochondria, lysosomes, and cytoplasmic membranes. The standardization of PDT techniques has generated excellent results, which have been obtained in various branches of medicine, mainly for the treatment of lesions concerning the head and neck region. Particularly in the oral cavity, topical photodynamic therapy has guaranteed remarkable results in the treatment of lichenoid lesions, fungal infections, and preneoplastic lesions.

In this Special Issue, research related to novel application techniques in oral therapy will be analyzed and updated. The purpose of this issue is to evaluate the usefulness of PDT in the treatment of benign, premalignant, and malignant lesions of the oral cavity.

Specific areas of current research activity are discussed and some of the required technical advances highlighted.

We especially welcome interventional studies aiming at improving knowledge of the therapeutic outcome of PDT in oral medicine.

Dr. Antonio Romano
Guest Editor

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• photodynamic therapy
• PDT
• oral therapy
• oral medicine
• oral pathology
• oral lesions