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The “focal infection theory” is a historical concept based on the assumption that some infections may cause chronic and acute diseases in different districts of the body. Its great popularity spanned from 1930 to 1950 when, with the aim to remove all the foci of infection, drastic surgical interventions were performed. Periodontitis, a common oral pathology mainly of bacterial origin, is the most evident example of this phenomenon today: in fact, bacteria are able to migrate, develop and cause health problems such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, diabetes, and osteoporosis. The aim of this narrative report is to verify the hypothesis of the association between oral infections and systemic diseases by different ways of approach and, at the same time, to propose new kinds of treatment today made possible by technological progress. The analysis of the literature demonstrated a strong relationship between these conditions, which might be explained on the basis of the recent studies on microbiota movement inside the body. Prevention of the oral infections, as well as of the possible systemic implications, may be successfully performed with the help of new technologies, such as probiotics and laser.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the possible intraoperative advantages of Nd:YAG laser and quantic molecular resonance (QMR) scalpel in oral soft tissue surgery. One hundred sixty-three interventions were evaluated. Group 1 (G1) included 77 interventions performed with Nd:YAG laser, group 2 (G2) 45 with QMR scalpel, and group 3 (G3) 41 with cold blade. Parameters analyzed were as follows: speed of incision, time of intervention, intraoperative bleeding, number of stitches, patient compliance, and operator comfort. Data were analyzed using software STATA 12 (StataCorp LP, College Station, TX, USA). Mean speed of incision was 0.54 mm/s in G1, 2.83 mm/s in G2, and 1.58 mm/s in G3, Nd:YAG laser being the slowest. However, no significant differences among times of intervention were found. In particular, interventions in G1 (221.15 ± 220.89 s) have a mean duration lower than G2 (280.56 ± 248.31 s) and G3 (316.10 ± 248.69 s). Intraoperative bleeding occurred in 29.9 % (n = 23/77) of interventions in G1, 97.8 % (n = 44/45) in G2, and 97.6 % (n = 40/41) in G3 (p < 0.0001). Mean number of stitches in G1 was statistically lower (G1, 0.10; G2, 2.07; G3, 2.29; p < 0.0001). No differences with regard to patient compliance were detected. Operator comfort was higher in G1 (p < 0.0003). Nd:YAG laser and QMR scalpel give several advantages in oral mucosal surgery: Nd:YAG laser cuts tissue slowly, but it provides a good visibility and excellent hemostasis. QMR scalpel allows a very rapid cutting with no considerable temperature increase, but there is major risk of bleeding and need for sutures with lower operator comfort.

In recent years there has been a rapid increase in infections caused by antibiotic-resistant strains. Despite therapy, infectious diseases remain a leading cause of mortality and the growing phenomenon of drug resistance is an emerging problem. Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) has been studied for antimicrobial purposes and antitumor applications. In order to test PDT on fungal infections, we applied the same protocols in vitro on Candida albicans in planktonic cultures and in biofilms models, using also new molecules for antifungal therapy, and in vivo in a model of C. albicans infection in larvae of Galleria mellonella. We performed PDT with 3 laser prototypes using 405, 532 and 650 nm wavelength with 3 fluences for in vitro planktonic cultures (10, 20 and 30 J/cm2) and one fluence of 10 J/cm2 for in vivo studies on G. mellonella larvae and in vitro biofilms studies. With regard to C. albicans cells suspensions, red diode laser used with toluidine blue caused a growth inhibition variable between 79.31% and 95.79%. The maximum inhibition of growth (100%) was obtained with the blue diode, at any used fluence, and curcumin. Green diode laser used with erythrosine caused a growth inhibition variable between 9.20% and 39.85%. Larvae of G. mellonella infected with C. albicans SC5314 for every performed treatment showed a significant increase in survival in comparison to infected animals inoculated with saline (p