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Background: The wellbeing of oral lichen planus patients (OLPs) may be strongly influenced by a poor quality of sleep (QoS) and psychological impairment. The aims were to analyze the prevalence of sleep disturbance, anxiety, and depression in OLPs and to validate the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) in OLPs. Methods: Three hundred keratotic OLPs (K-OLPs), 300 with predominant non-keratotic OLP (nK-OLPs), and 300 controls were recruited in 15 Italian universities. The PSQI, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Hamilton Rating Scales for Depression and Anxiety (HAM-D and HAM-A), Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), and Total Pain Rating Index (T-PRI) were administered. Results: Oral lichen planus patients had statistically higher scores than the controls in the majority of the PSQI sub-items (p-values5) in K-OLPs and nK-OLPs, respectively. The PSQI’s validation demonstrated good internal consistency and reliability of both the total and subscale of the PSQI. Conclusions: The OLPs reported an overall impaired QoS, which seemed to be an independent parameter according to the regression analysis. Hence, clinicians should assess QoS in OLPs and treat sleep disturbances in order to improve OLPs management.

Objectives: The aim of this systematic review was to estimate the osteoradionecrosis rate in patients with head and neck cancer due to teeth extraction performed before radiotherapy and to identify possible risk factors. Material and Methods: PRISMA protocol was used to evaluate and present the results. PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science were used as search engines: English full-length papers of clinical studies, in peer-reviewed journals, were investigated. Cumulative meta-analysis was performed with a random effects model (PROSPERO registration code: CRD42018079986). Results: Among 2,020 records screened, 8 were included in this review. Sixteen of 494 patients who underwent tooth extraction before radiotherapy developed osteoradionecrosis, with an osteoradionecrosis incidence of 2.2% (95% Confidence of Interval=0.6–3.9, p&nbsp

Objective The purpose of this study was to describe an unusual case of intraoral juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG) and to perform a systematic review to investigate the available literature regarding oral JXGs. Study design We present a new case of oral JXG arising in a 36-year-old Italian woman and conducted a systematic literature review in PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus, according to the PRISMA guidelines. Results Our review of the English-language literature yielded 34 cases of oral JXG, which are included in our case report. Conclusions JXG is a non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis. Oral JXG has been reported, but it is a rare manifestation. Because of the rarity of oral lesions and possible variations in the clinical and histological presentation, the correct diagnosis can be challenging, requiring a careful clinical and histopathological evaluation with adjuvant immunohistochemical studies.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the postoperative course in patients undergoing oral mucosal biopsies, considering clinical and patient’s perception variables potentially correlated to poor healing. Subjects and methods: Eighty patients underwent oral biopsies. All the variables connected with the surgery were recorded, and the harvested volume was calculated through image software (ImageJ, NIH, Betesda, USA). To evaluate the postoperative discomfort, the OHIP-14 and the numeric rating scale of pain (NRS) were administered at 6 h, 7 days and 21 days after biopsy. Results: Six hours after the biopsy, 22 (OHIP-14 ≥ 20) and 24 (NRS ≥ 4) patients experienced a troublesome or painful healing, respectively. A significant statistical correlation between poor healing and high scores of NRS and OHIP was detected (Pearson’s correlation test p < 0.05). Higher values of OHIP-14 were correlated to the type of lesion (OR = 1.165; p < 0.05), whereas high values of NRS were correlated to the use of systemic drugs (p < 0.05). No surgical variable had a significant statistical correlation with any of the outcomes. Conclusions: The clinical evaluation was correlated with the patient’s perception of pain and discomfort. This finding could be suggestive of the fact that wound healing can be reliably monitored with the help of these tools. Clinical relevance: Patient perception can be a predictor of the healing of biopsied tissues.

Nowadays, there is a considerable interest to study the biological and microbiological changes that accompany orthodontic treatment. Growing knowledge on oral microbiota allows, day after day, to identify and characterize the microbial arrangements specifically associated with oral and extra-oral conditions. The aim of the present work is to highlight any further correlations between orthodontic appliances and the qualitative and quantitative modifications of the oral microbiota, such as predisposing factors for the onset of caries, periodontal diseases, and other infections, which can impact the oral and systemic health of the orthodontic patients. When compared with subjects without orthodontic appliances, orthodontic patients reported significant qualitative and quantitative differences in supra- and subgingival plaque during the entire treatment period. Certain components of fixed appliances (mainly bonded molar brackets, ceramic brackets, and elastomeric ligatures) showed high risks of periodontal disease and tooth decay for patients. An unclear prevalence of Candida spp. and the paucity of studies on viruses and protozoas in the oral microbiota of orthodontic patients need to be further investigated. The evidence emerging from this study could guide clinicians in modulating the timing of controls and enhance patient motivation to prevent the formation of mature plaque, thus reducing the risks of oral-plaque-related diseases.

Osteoradionecrosis (ORN) of the jaw is considered the most severe long-term adverse effect that can occur in radiation therapy patients. Teeth extractions and dental diseases are the main risk factors for ORN in irradiated patients. The aim of this case series was to evaluate the outcome of primary root canal treatments performed on patients who underwent head and neck radiotherapy and to evaluate any ORN related to the endodontic treatment. In this case series, primary root canal therapies (absence of radiolucency) were performed on 10 teeth of 8 patients who underwent radiotherapy for head and neck cancers. Radiation doses to the periapical area were calculated using the radiotherapy planning computed tomographic scan. After a 277-day mean follow-up, all patients were asymptomatic, no teeth showed periapical radiolucency, and no ORN was observed. Even if a limitation of buccal opening occurred after radiotherapy and complicated the endodontic procedures, root canal therapy seemed to be safe and a valid alternative to tooth extraction.