Applied Sciences

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Dear Colleagues,

Chronic degenerative non communicable diseases (NCDs) have high rates of morbidity and mortality. The major NCDs are diabetes mellitus (DM), cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), lung disease, osteoporosis, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Currently, it is believed that approximately 40% of deaths worldwide may be attributable to these pathological conditions. Lifestyle factors such as physical activity, a healthy diet and abstention from smoking seem to play a key role in reducing the onset and the progression of NCDs. Among the NCDs emerging risk factors, the periodontitis is assuming a relevant role. In fact, a correlation between CKD and oral diseases has been recently demonstrated. Specifically, CKD influences the oral health since it induces gingival hyperplasia, xerostomia, calcification of root canals, delayed tooth eruption and periodontal disease (PD). NCDs can influence the development of oral disease via systemic and oral cavity inflammation. Therefore, the treatment of PD could be useful in reducing the systemic inflammation and the NCDs onset. In recent years, among many innovative therapies for their treatment, natural bioactive compounds and adapted physical activity have been validated as effective by numerous authors. The aim of this Special Issue is to explore the possible correlation between oral diseases and NCDs, analyzing new potential treatments.

Dr. Michele Basilicata
Dr. Annalisa Noce
Guest Editors

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Keywords

oral health
systemic disease
oral disease
chronic kidney disease
special care dentistry
oral care
oral medicine
prevention
periodontal disease

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Review

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29 pages, 2917 KiB

Open AccessReview

Healthy Effects of Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) in Internal Medicine and Dentistry

by Giulia Marrone, Michele Basilicata, Manuela Di Lauro, Chiara Vita, Claudia Masci, Francesca Gioia Klinger, Kevin Cornali, Gianluca Maddaloni, Patrizio Bollero, Antonino De Lorenzo and Annalisa Noce

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(4), 1570; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14041570 - 16 Feb 2024

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Abstract

Punica granatum L., commonly known as pomegranate, is a typical fruit of Asia, Mediterranean countries, the Middle East and the USA. While in ancient times pomegranate was considered an ornamental plant, nowadays numerous scientific studies have highlighted its antioxidant and anti-radical activities, making it a “superfood”. Pomegranate presents a high content of natural bioactive compounds (NBCs), and its consumption appears to exert numerous healthy effects, in particular, in several pathological conditions as metabolic syndrome, cancer, nephrolithiasis, urinary tract infections and neurodegenerative diseases. Moreover, recent studies have pointed out the possible beneficial action of pomegranate on oral health. For these reasons, the utility of pomegranate in internal medicine and dentistry represents a promising field, as it could enable the development of innovative natural adjuvant therapies and empower standard pharmaceutical therapies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oral Health and Chronic Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs))

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Other

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12 pages, 697 KiB

Open AccessSystematic Review

Mechanism behind the Upregulation of Proteins Associated with the NLRP3 Inflammasome in Periodontitis and Their Role in the Immune Response in Diabetes—A Systematic Review

by Elisabetta Ferrara, Ilaria Converti, Roberta Scarola, Francesco Carlo Tartaglia, Antonio Gnoni, Gaetano Isola and Biagio Rapone

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(14), 8278; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13148278 - 18 Jul 2023

Viewed by 1035

Abstract

Background: The molecular crosstalk between periodontitis and diabetes is well established. The role of the NLRP3 inflammasome, a multicomponent inflammatory machinery, is an emerging field of research on the relationship between these two uncommunicable diseases. Recent advances are revealing further molecular details regarding the biological function and the mechanism behind the NLRP3 inflammasome dysregulation and highlighting an unexpected role for the caspase-1 in immune homeostasis. We aimed to understand which metabolic checkpoints are involved in contributing to and instigating the relationship between periodontitis and diabetes. We tried to explore the involvement of the NLRP3 in regulating the cytokine-chemokines profile and discussed the potential synergism in these mechanisms when these two diseases coexist in the same patient. Methods: A literature search was carried out in the electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library) for relevant studies from inception until January 2022 for trials and cohort studies that investigated the activation and regulation mechanism of the NLRP3 inflammasome in patients with periodontitis and type two diabetes. Two investigators independently extracted data. The data quality assessment was rated by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). Results: from twenty-six references identified, three studies (two case-control and one cross-sectional) met the inclusion criteria. Analysis of periodontal tissue samples in diabetic individuals exhibited significant overexpression of the NLRP3 inflammasome when compared with healthy controls. Conclusions: there is insufficient evidence to sustain the involvement of the upregulation of genes and proteins involved in the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome components in patients with periodontitis and diabetes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oral Health and Chronic Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs))

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