Leukoplakia in the Oral Cavity and Oral Microbiota: A Comprehensive Review
by
, , and
Giacomo Pietrobon
1,†, 
Marta Tagliabue
1,2,*,†,
Luigi Marco Stringa
3,
Rita De Berardinis
1,
Francesco Chu
1,
Jacopo Zocchi
1, 
Elena Carlotto
4,
Susanna Chiocca
5 and
Mohssen Ansarin
1 1
Division of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, 20142 Milan, Italy
2
Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
3
Unit of Otolaryngology, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
4
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy
5
Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, 20139 Milan, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Giacomo Pietrobon and Marta Tagliabue contributed equally to this work as co-first authors.
Cancers 2021, 13(17), 4439; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13174439
Submission received: 31 July 2021
/
Revised: 27 August 2021
/
Accepted: 1 September 2021
/
Published: 3 September 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Personalized Preventive Medicine of Oral Cancer)
Simple Summary
The aim of this narrative review is to better understand the role of the oral microbiota in oral cavity leukoplakia. We provide a comprehensive review, exhaustively summarizing the steps taken in this field.
Abstract
We reviewed the current published literature on the impact of oral microbiota on oral cavity leukoplakia (OLK), aiming at clarifying its role in disease transformation. The analysis unveiled that bacterial richness and diversity in the oral cavity tend to be decreased in OLK compared to healthy controls, with a reduction in the prevalent commensals, such as Streptococci, and elevation of anaerobes. Moreover, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Prevotella intermedia are recurrent findings, and they already have been linked to periodontal disease. These microbial community changes may also represent a marker for the transition from OLK to oral squamous cell carcinoma. Unfortunately, the reviewed studies present several limitations, making an objective comparison difficult. To overcome these biases, longitudinal studies are necessary.
