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Early detection is very crucial for successful management of oral cancer or any disease as such. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) accounts for nearly 90% of malignancy of oral cavity. In the field of cancer research, there is always an ongoing quest for newer methods to lower the morbidity and mortality associated with OSCC. Saliva, a readily available noninvasive biofluid with constant contact with oral cancer lesion, offers an appealing alternative to serum and tissue testing. This review throws light on incorporation of newer technologies for harnessing the saliva to its fullest potential with increased specificity and sensitivity toward identification of cancer-specific molecular signatures for the development of point-of-care applications that could be used at the clinical setting.

Background: Ameloblastoma is the second most common odontogenic tumor that holds a unique position among benign tumors due to its locally destructive and invasive nature. The differed tumor biology behind follicular and plexiform ameloblastoma is always an enigma. Nerve growth factor (NGF), a neurotrophin that plays a major role during odontogenesis, could also possibly play a role in the pathogenesis of odontogenic tumors such as ameloblastoma. With this background, the study was aimed to investigate the expression of NGF in follicular and plexiform ameloblastoma. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to analyze the immunohistochemical expression pattern of NGF in ameloblastoma and to compare the immunohistochemical expression pattern of NGF among the follicular and plexiform histological types of ameloblastoma. Materials and Methods: Forty histological sections of ameloblastomas (20 follicular and 20 plexiform) were stained immunohistochemically with anti-human NGF mouse IgG monoclonal antibody and the staining was analyzed statistically. Results: Almost all the 40 ameloblastoma samples (20 follicular and 20 plexiform) showed positive immunoreactivity to NGF. Both peripheral pre-ameloblast-like tall columnar cells and central stellate-reticulum-like cells showed positive reactivity. The pattern of staining was membranous in the immunoreactive cells. The χ2 value for the immunoexpression between follicular and plexiform ameloblastoma was statistically significant with a P value

Cells of the human biological system emerge from various concerted processes of cell growth, differentiation, repair, and regeneration to a degree. Neurotrophins (NTs) and Neurotrophin Receptors (NTRs) have robust effects on proliferation, differentiation, migration, survival, and synapse formation through physiologic regulatory signals. Dysregulation of such neurotrophic factors not only results in various age-related degenerative conditions but also paves the way to oncogenesis in neuronal and non-neuronal tissues. This review aims to highlight the emerging role of neurotrophins (NTs) and Neurotrophin Receptors (NTRs) in Oral Health and Disease and its molecular signaling pathway in physiologic and pathologic conditions. The electronic databases PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched for available data in the present review. A database search yielded more than 100 articles out of which 45 were included based on the core data. The role of NTs and NTRs in dental diseases is less explored and this was the very first attempt to collect the literature data of NTs and NTRs pertaining to head and neck tumors. The results and subsequent conclusions were extracted and reviewed. Expression of NTs and NTRs in neuronal and non-neuronal tissue is a spatial and time-bound event like odontogenesis. Recently NTs and NTRs expressions were detected in a few head and neck tumors. Unraveling the molecular signaling pathway of NTs and NTRs in head and neck tumors will help in elucidating the molecular pathogenesis and the prognosis, therefore, paving a path to expand our knowledge to understand and develop therapies for many pathologic conditions.

One of the primary tasks of systematic biology is the development of our biological nomenclature and classifications. The key purpose for the development of a standard nomenclature for a disease is the need for a common language for the statement of diagnostic terms and for a means or system whereby diagnosis could be suitably recorded without chaos. Odontogenic tumor nomenclature and classification have confused physicians over the years. Ameloblastoma is one such entity among odontogenic tumors, which has continuously changed to be an evolution of the terms and taxonomy used in literature. In this review, we aim to provide a fundamental basis for the understanding of how the etymology and the position of ameloblastoma in odontogenic tumor classification have evolved over the years.