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Background: Oral complications of chemotherapy are sometimes unnoticed and if not treated, they can compromise patients' health and quality of life. Methods: This study aimed to assess and characterize orofacial complaints and complications, and their impact on the oral-health-related quality of life in patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy. Results: We evaluated 28 patients with solid tumors undergoing chemotherapy, through a systematic orofacial evaluation. Eighteen patients (64.2%) developed oral complications during chemotherapy and xerostomia scored the highest incidence n = 14 (50%). About oral health data, gingival index revealed greater part of patients classified with moderate or severe gingival inflammation. The mean plaque index was 25.6%. The mean CPOD index was 15.48 and was worse in patients without oral complications. The patients presented higher plaque index and the oral health impact profile showed higher mean index in the patients group that developed oral complications. Conclusion: These data reinforce the crucial role of the dentist in the multidisciplinary team, with crucial support in the diagnosis of oral complications. Thus, a specific assistance and relieve of patient's complaints could impact positively on quality of life.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether simultaneous irradiation at 660 and 808 nm generates different patterns of oxidative/antioxidative activities compared to consecutive irradiation. Primary cultures of gingival keratinocytes and fibroblasts were exposed to a diose laser (660 ± 2 nm and 808 ± 2 nm, 100 mW, 0.09 cm 2 spot area) using double irradiation with the two wavelengths (consecutive or simultaneous) for 6, 10, and 20 s. The two irradiation regimens did not increase cell viability in any of the experimental conditions. Lipid peroxidation was increased after consecutive irradiation in epithelial cells, which was not detected after simultaneous irradiation. After 20s of the simultaneous mode, ROS levels increased, but antioxidative balance decreased. In the fibroblasts, the two double irradiations induced ROS reduction, increase in lipid peroxidation, and improvement of antioxidative balance, mainly after the 20 s irradiation time. In conclusion, simultaneous and consecutive irradiation induced distinct oxidative stress modulation in oral epithelial cells and fibroblasts. The imbalance in the oxidative system observed after longer exposures, allied with the absence of a significant increase in the viability of the two cell types, suggests a contraindication for longer simultaneous irradiation in clinical situations that demand cellular stimulation., (© 2023 The American Society for Photobiology.)

Objective: To investigate whether the process of primary gingival keratinocytes culture obtained from normal human gingiva modifies the expression of keratins (K) 10, K14, and K19., Design: Human gingival fragments were collected from healthy individuals in the same oral site. One part of the samples underwent an immunohistochemistry assay for K10, K14, and K19. The labeling in the epithelium was quantified using a semiautomated method. Another part was used for primary gingival keratinocytes isolation and growth in two-dimensional culture. These cells were also stained for K10, K14, and K19 using immunofluorescence and immunocytochemistry. Positive cells were counted, and the nuclei and cytoplasmatic labeling areas were quantified., Results: In the gingival tissue, a higher expression was found for K14 versus K10 (p < 0.001); K19 was negative in all samples. In gingival keratinocytes culture, K14 (89.6 %) had the highest expression with significant differences in relation to K10 (76.9 %, p < 0.01) and K19 (9.9 %, p < 0.01). The cells positive for K14 exhibited larger nuclei in comparison with K10 (p < 0.05) and K19 (p < 0.05), suggesting a more undifferentiated phenotype. K19 cells showed the largest cytoplasmatic labeling in relation to K10- (p < 0.05) and K14-positive (p < 0.05) cells., Conclusion: The process of growth in culture of gingival keratinocytes maintained the expression pattern of K10 and K14 observed in gingival tissues. However, this method induces the expression of K19, suggesting a potential transformation of the keratin network presented in the gingival keratinocytes during the formation of a monolayer in vitro. This reflects the dynamics of cell differentiation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)