The early diagnosis of cancer can facilitate subsequent clinical patient management. Artificial intelligence (AI) has been found to be promising for improving the diagnostic process. The aim of the present study is to increase the evidence on the application of AI to the early diagnosis of oral cancer through a scoping review. A search was performed in the PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and Google Scholar databases during the period from January 2000 to December 2020, referring to the early non-invasive diagnosis of oral cancer based on AI applied to screening. Only accessible full-text articles were considered. Thirty-six studies were included on the early detection of oral cancer based on images (photographs (optical imaging and enhancement technology) and cytology) with the application of AI models. These studies were characterized by their heterogeneous nature. Each publication involved a different algorithm with potential training data bias and few comparative data for AI interpretation. Artificial intelligence may play an important role in precisely predicting the development of oral cancer, though several methodological issues need to be addressed in parallel to the advances in AI techniques, in order to allow large-scale transfer of the latter to population-based detection protocols.

Oral mucosal lesions have many etiologies, including viral or bacterial infections, local trauma or irritation, systemic disorders, and even excessive alcohol and tobacco consumption. Folk knowledge on medicinal plants and phytochemicals in the treatment of oral mucosal lesions has gained special attention among the scientific community. Thus, this review aims to provide a brief overview on the traditional knowledge of plants in the treatment of oral mucosal lesions. This review was carried out consulting reports between 2008 and 2018 of PubMed (Medline), Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Database, Science Direct, and Google Scholar. The chosen keywords were plant, phytochemical, oral mucosa, leukoplakia, oral lichen planus and oral health. A special emphasis was given to certain plants (e.g., chamomile, Aloe vera, green tea, and coffea) and plant-derived bioactives (e.g., curcumin, lycopene) with anti-oral mucosal lesion activity. Finally, preclinical (in vitro and in vivo) and clinical studies examining both the safety and efficacy of medicinal plants and their derived phytochemicals were also carefully addressed.

Objective: To evaluate a panel of salivary analytes involving biomarkers of inflammation, stress, immune system and antioxidant status in patients with burning mouth syndrome (BMS) and to study their relationship with clinical variables. Materials and Methods: A total of 51 patients with BMS and 31 controls were consecutively enrolled in the study, with the recording of oral habits, the severity of pain using a visual analogue scale (VAS), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) score and the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP14) score. Resting whole saliva was collected with the drainage technique, followed by the measurement of 11 biomarkers. Results: The salivary flow was higher in patients with BMS. Among all the biomarkers studied, significantly higher levels of alpha-amylase, immunoglobulin A (IgA), and macrophage inflammatory protein-4 (MIP4) and lower levels of uric acid and ferric reducing activity of plasma (FRAP) were observed in the saliva of patients with BMS as compared to the controls (p < 0.05 in all cases). Positive correlations were found between pain, oral quality of life and anxiety scores and salivary biomarkers. Conclusions: BMS is associated with changes in salivary biomarkers of inflammation, oxidative stress and stress, being related to the degree of pain and anxiety.

The main objective was to assess the efficacy of botulinum toxin-based treatment for sialorrhea in adult patients with Parkinson’s disease. The search was performed by using the Medline-PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library databases from January 2000–December 2017, in English/Spanish in patients with Parkinson’s disease and sialorrhea. The methodological quality of trials was carried out by following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) criteria and the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS). Finally, a total of 21 articles were identified as fulfilling the inclusion criteria. There is no consensus regarding the site of injection of the toxin (single or multiple points), toxin dose or follow-up period. In all cases there was a reduction of sialorrhea. Treatment safety increases with the use of ultrasonography. Effects approximately occur at one week post-injection and for 3–5 months. Botulinum toxin is an effective therapeutic strategy or option in treating sialorrhea in adult patients with Parkinson’s disease. More studies with a better design, larger samples and a longer follow-up period are required to confirm these data.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of photobiomodulation (PBM) treatment in patients with xerostomia and hyposalivation and assess their quality of life over a one year of follow-up. Material and methods: A single-blind randomized controlled trial. A total of 60 patients with xerostomia were included (30 PBM cases and 30 placebo controls). Photobiomodulation was performed with a diode laser (810 nm, 6 J/cm²), while the controls underwent simulated treatment. One weekly session was carried out for a total of 6 weeks (total six sessions). The study parameters were recorded at baseline, after three and six weeks, and at one year post-treatment. Xerostomia was assessed using a salivary flow visual analog scale (VAS) and the Xerostomia Inventory (XI). The Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale, Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) were also administered. Results: The patients subjected to PBM therapy showed a significant improvement of xerostomia based on the drainage test, and of oral quality of life (p < 0.001). The depression score of the HAD (HAD-D) and the ESS showed improvement, though without reaching statistical significance (p > 0.05). The placebo group showed significant changes in the xerostomia VAS score at 6 weeks (p = 0.009), with no variations in any of the other studied parameters (p > 0.05). The beneficial effects of the diode laser in the PBM group persisted at one year post-treatment. Conclusions: Photobiomodulation with the diode laser is effective in patients with xerostomia and hyposalivation, and thus should be taken into account as a treatment option.