Background/Objectives: Oral health is a complex concept involving physical, psychological, emotional, and social components. A key factor in maintaining oral tissue integrity is redox balance, which is disrupted by oxidative stress (OS) through an imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant defenses. This study examines the contribution of endogenous and exogenous sources to OS and explores the therapeutic potential of medicinal plants from the Asteraceae and Lamiaceae families in restoring redox homeostasis and improving oral health. Methods: A literature review was conducted, analyzing the role of OS in oral diseases and the antioxidant mechanisms of selected Asteraceae species. Special attention was given to their phytochemical contents—polyphenols, flavonoids, and essential oils—and their biological relevance to oral health. Results: OS plays a critical role in the onset and progression of oral conditions such as caries, periodontitis, gingivitis, aphthous ulcers, abscesses, precancerous lesions, and oral cancers. ROS and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) cause inflammation, tissue breakdown, and salivary gland dysfunction. Asteraceae plants like Matricaria chamomilla, Calendula officinalis, Cichorium intybus, Taraxacum officinale, Arctium lappa, Achillea millefolium, and Solidago virgaurea demonstrate notable antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties that help counteract OS and support oral homeostasis. Conclusions: Asteraceae and Lamiaceae species show high therapeutic potential in addressing OS-related oral disorders. Their bioactive compounds aid in restoring redox balance and protecting oral tissues. These findings support the integration of phytotherapeutic agents into oral healthcare and call for further clinical validation of plant-based strategies for disease prevention and management.

Skin health must be ensured at all times in the case of wounds when the skin is subjected to traumatic actions that require multiple wound-healing measures. Wound healing is a complex, multi-phase biological process critical for restoring skin integrity after trauma. This study investigates the development and evaluation of a novel composite hydrogel formulated from collagen peptides extracted from the jellyfish Rhizostoma pulmo and hydroethanolic extracts from the brown alga Cystoseira barbata, both sourced from the Romanian Black Sea coast. Throughout the work, the characteristics due to the biochemical compositions of the extracts from the brown alga C. barbata and from the jellyfish R. pulmo are highlighted as important, emphasizing the content of polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids. Total phenol content was analyzed for three extracts from natural products. The biochemical composition, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and in vitro wound-healing properties of the components and their composite (JPC-ALG) were assessed. The rheological behavior and optical microscopy studies of collagen hydrogels were prepared. The general mechanisms of wound healing with the involvement of polysaccharides and collagen peptides existing in all categories of extracts were highlighted. The study of the effects of JPC-ALG composites and individual extracts on fibroblast and keratocyte cell lines is also presented. Results demonstrated that the composite exhibited synergistic effects, enhancing fibroblast and keratinocyte migration and proliferation, key factors in wound closure. The findings support the potential application of this marine-derived bioactive composite as a promising biomaterial for wound-healing therapies.

The digestive system is one of the most complex systems in the body, integrating multiple functions, closely linked to and influenced by chemosensory mechanisms, as well as by the presence, composition, and dynamics of the microbiome. Increasing attention has been directed toward plant-derived foods and medicines, which interact with gut microbiota and modulate host physiological responses through microbial metabolism, leading to the formation of bioactive metabolites that influence host signaling pathways and therapeutic response. The review, based on relevant articles from major international databases using specific terms with a focus on microbiome-mediated interactions and molecular mechanisms, highlights the role of microbiome and diagnostic methods through the analysis of specific composition and changes in microbiota, as well as the importance of microbiomes in relation to the treatment of chronic diseases, given their complex influence on drug metabolism. The microbiome influences the response to medications and resistance to therapy, being also involved in the metabolism of plant-derived foods and medicines through complex microbial interactions, while the importance of modern diagnostic approaches supports the use of microbiome analysis to improve diagnosis, monitoring, and personalized medical strategies.

Background/Objectives: Periodontitis and peri-implantitis are inflammatory conditions associated with progressive loss of supporting bone, but they differ in tissue architecture, biological response, and disease progression. Conventional radiographic assessment often reports bone loss as a global value, which may overlook site-specific mesial–distal differences. This study aimed to compare mesial and distal radiographic bone loss around natural teeth affected by periodontitis and dental implants affected by peri-implantitis, with a focus on quadrant 1. Methods: This retrospective comparative CBCT-based radiographic study analyzed 128 within-patient paired tooth/implant observations in quadrant 1. Mesial and distal bone loss values were recorded separately for natural teeth and corresponding implant sites. Each pair included one natural-tooth site and one implant site from the same patient, matched by comparable anatomical position and surface. Paired-samples t-tests were used, and mean differences were calculated as implants minus natural teeth. Given the multiple site-specific comparisons, p-values were interpreted as unadjusted exploratory findings. Results: Statistically significant differences were observed only on the mesial surface of anterior implants. Mesial bone loss was significantly greater around implants than natural teeth for central incisors (8.30 ± 3.31 mm vs. 4.90 ± 1.78 mm; mean difference = 3.39 mm; p = 0.004), lateral incisors (8.12 ± 3.57 mm vs. 4.94 ± 2.82 mm; mean difference = 3.18 mm; p = 0.028), and canines (5.99 ± 3.12 mm vs. 4.42 ± 1.26 mm; mean difference = 1.57 mm; p = 0.018). No statistically significant differences were observed for distal surfaces or posterior tooth/implant positions. Conclusions: Within the limitations of this quadrant-specific retrospective radiographic analysis, peri-implant bone loss showed a surface- and position-dependent distribution, with greater mesial bone loss around anterior implants. Separate mesial and distal assessment may provide additional value for periodontal and peri-implant monitoring.

Background: Active smoking is recognized as a major risk factor for oral and systemic inflammatory disorders. Tobacco smoke can alter immune responses and modulate the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, potentially contributing to periodontal tissue damage and impaired oral health. Salivary biomarkers represent a non-invasive and clinically accessible approach for monitoring inflammatory processes. The present study aimed to evaluate salivary levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-8 (IL-8) in active smokers and non-smokers and to explore their potential relevance as indicators of oral inflammatory status. Methods: A total of 98 clinically healthy adults aged 20–72 years were included in this cross-sectional study. Participants were divided into four groups according to smoking status and sex: female controls, male controls, female smokers, and male smokers. Unstimulated saliva samples were collected using standardized procedures and analyzed for IL-2, IL-6, and IL-8 concentrations using commercially available ELISA kits. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS, with significance set at p < 0.05. Results: Salivary cytokine profiles differed between smokers and non-smokers across all investigated biomarkers. Female smokers exhibited lower mean IL-8 levels than female controls, whereas male smokers showed slightly lower IL-8 concentrations than male controls. IL-6 concentrations tended to be higher in female smokers and lower in male smokers relative to their respective control groups. Similarly, IL-2 levels displayed modest variations between smokers and non-smokers. However, none of the observed differences were statistically significant (p > 0.05). A significant positive correlation was identified between salivary IL-2 and IL-6 concentrations (r = 0.559, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Although statistically significant differences were not identified, the observed trends suggest that active smoking may influence salivary cytokine profiles associated with oral inflammatory responses. Salivary IL-2, IL-6, and IL-8 remain promising biomarkers for the non-invasive assessment of inflammatory status and warrant further investigation in larger cohorts. Future studies incorporating additional clinical and periodontal parameters are needed to clarify the relationship between smoking-related immune modulation and oral inflammatory processes.