Application of Photodynamic Therapy in Oral Therapy

Dear Colleagues,

Today, clinical efforts and scientific research are increasingly pursuing the development of new assistive tools and minimally invasive techniques for novel therapeutic approaches. Photodynamic concepts have arisen as a considerable development area of research for both diagnostic (photodynamic diagnosis) and therapeutic clinical applications. Photodynamic diagnosis (PDD) seems to enable the visualization of irregular lesion shapes more precisely than a 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 light radiation on a tissue treated with photosensitizers. By photoactivating photosensitizing molecules with a radiant source, in fact, it is possible to induce necrosis at the level of the lysosomes and at the 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, which bypasses 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 accumulates 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. In particular, 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 should be 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 will be discussed, and some of the required technical advances, highlighted.

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

Prof. Dr. Rosario Serpico
Dr. Antonio Romano
Guest Editors

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• photodynamic therapy
• PDT
• oral therapy
• oral medicine
• oral pathology
• oral lesion