COVID-19 is the disease supported by SARS-CoV-2 infection, which causes a severe form of pneumonia. Due to the pathophysiological characteristics of the COVID-19 syndrome, the particular transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2, and the high globalization of our era, the epidemic emergency from China has spread rapidly all over the world. Human-to-human transmission seems to occur mainly through close contact with symptomatic people affected by COVID-19, and the main way of contagion is via the inhalation of respiratory droplets, for example when patients talk, sneeze or cough. The ability of the virus to survive outside living organisms, in aerosol or on fomites has also been recognized. The dental practitioners are particularly exposed to a high risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection because they cannot always respect the interpersonal distance of more than a meter and are exposed to saliva, blood, and other body fluids during surgical procedures. Moreover, many dental surgeries can generate aerosol, and the risk of airborne infection is to be considered higher. The aim of this paper is to provide practical advice for dentists based on the recent literature, which may be useful in reducing the risk of spreading COVID-19 during clinical practice.

A growing number of evidences report that aging represents the major risk factor for the development of cardio and cerebrovascular diseases. Understanding Aging from a genetic, biochemical and physiological point of view could be helpful to design a better medical approach and to elaborate the best therapeutic strategy to adopt, without neglecting all the risk factors associated with advanced age. Of course, the better way should always be understanding risk-to-benefit ratio, maintenance of independence and reduction of symptoms. Although improvements in treatment of cardiovascular diseases in the elderly population have increased the survival rate, several studies are needed to understand the best management option to improve therapeutic outcomes. The aim of this review is to give a 360° panorama on what goes on in the fragile ecosystem of elderly, why it happens and what we can do, right now, with the tools at our disposal to slow down aging, until new discoveries on aging, cardio and cerebrovascular diseases are at hand.

Diabetes mellitus is a common disease that affects 3–5% of the general population in Italy. In some countries of northern Europe or in North America, it can even affect 6–8% of the population. Of great concern is that the number of cases of diabetes is constantly increasing, probably due to the increase in obesity and the sedentary nature of the population. According to the World Health Organization, in the year 2030 there will be 360 million people with diabetes, compared to 170 million in 2000. This has important repercussions on the lives of patients and their families, and on health systems that offer assistance to patients. In this review, we try to describe in an organized way the pathophysiological continuity between diabetes mellitus, endothelial dysfunction, and platelet hyperaggregation, highlighting the main molecular mechanisms involved and the interconnections.

Periodontitis and peri-implantitis are microbially associated diseases of the tissues supporting the teeth and dental implants that are mediated by host inflammation and eventually lead to tooth and dental implant loss. Given the probiotics’ role in biofilm control, dysbiosis reversal, and host modulation, their potential beneficial effects on the improvement of periodontitis and peri-implantitis have been recently investigated. Moreover, probiotics use has also been proposed in periodontal health management in patients undergoing fixed orthodontic therapy. Therefore, the present study aimed to review, considering the periodontal microbiome composition around teeth and dental implants in healthy and pathological conditions, the putative favorable effects of probiotics on gingivitis, periodontitis, and peri-implantitis. The secondary aim of the present narrative review was to synthesize the supporting evidence and proposed protocols for probiotics use as adjuncts in periodontitis and peri-implantitis treatment and the periodontal health management of orthodontic patients with fixed appliances. Contrasting findings from the literature may be due to the different methods, posology, and duration of probiotics prescriptions and due to the heterogeneous biological and clinical measurement methods employed. Thus, no definitive conclusions could be drawn about the effectiveness of probiotics in periodontal management, both in healthy and pathological conditions. Further studies are needed to validate probiotics for periodontal management and provide recommended protocols.