WFLD 2023

Del Vecchio Alessandro

Alessandro Del Vecchio DDS PhD

Prof Visit. Elements of Oral Diseases, Dental Hygiene School of Sapienza University of Rome (Italy) pole B Cassino
PhD in Dental Science at Sapienza University of Rome
Past President of SILO (Italian Society of Laser in Dentistry)
Secretary of the European Division of WFLD (World Federation for Laser Dentistry)
Secretary of the International Academy of EMDOLA
Scientific Coordinator of European Master Degree on Oral Laser Application EMDOLA – Sapienza University of Rome
Coordinator of Postgraduate Course in Oral Pathology and Medicine at Sapienza University of Rome
Lecturer in the EMDOLA Master courses in Barcelona, Timisoara, Wroclaw, Liege and Parma.

Is there Photobiomodulation outside the therapeutic window?

The Photobiomodulation (PBM) is the application of low dosages of light energy to evoke a response in the irradiated tissues to promote different effects as: tissues healing and cell regeneration, inflammation reduction, neovascularization and pain reduction. The widest majority of the clinical applications of the PBM that are described in the Literature supports the modulative effects of the red and Near Infrared (NIR) wavelengths, included in the 600nm to 1200nm range that for this reason is also known as the “therapeutic window”. However, there is an increasing interest among the authors concerning the possible therapeutic effects of the wavelengths in the visible blue (400nm to 470/480nm) and green (495nm – 570nm), with the first involved in reduction of superficial inflammation and wound healing, while the latters seeming to reduce cellulite appearance and swelling.

As further interest in the application of these new wavelengths is the increasing body of evidence about the antimicrobial effects, especially of the blue light maybe due to the activation of endogenous photosensitiser, in particular porphyrins, that are supposed to induced specific bactericidal effects.

The growing interest in the clinical applications of the PBM requires a deep and clear knowledge of the biological mechanisms of action of the therapeutic lights that are both induced directly by the absorption of the light, and indirectly by many downstream processes that promote the beneficial effects largely described in the Literature. Nevertheless, this increasing attention to PBM claims a mandatory statement about parameters and data that must be clearly enounced in each scientific study, to reach in the shortest period a clear consensus about protocols permitting a valuable comparison of PBM efficiency with conventional medical treatments.

On-line: Primary Prevention of OSCC. An update

Oral carcinoma (OSCC) is a primary problem for both clinicians and patients with a mortality rate still very high due to a relevant diagnostic delay. This datum is in great contrast with the wide and acquired knowledge concerning the main risk factors associated to this pathology; the widest diffusion of these issues should be pursued to reduce efficiently the poor prognosis of the disease. As a first the tobacco assumption, in its various ways, including the more recent e-cigs or heat non burns devices. Secondly the abuse of alcohol aften associated to tobacco in the so-called deadly combination. These elements count together over the 80% of all oral cancer predisposal factors. Last but non least great interest should be dedicated to: HPV infections, UV light exposure, immunosuppression, ageing etc. Nowadays, as further issues to enhance the early diagnosis of oral cancer, great relevance is given to the care of the Oral clinical examination, and more recently to the Oral Self-Examination. Both these topics register an increasing interest in the OSCC literature, showing that they are the new targets in the primary prevention of oral cancer. The main aim for any educational program both of under or post graduated level is to diffuse at maximum the application of this new deal in primary prevention in Oral Cancer, hoping so to raise the poor epidemiological data that still now characterize the outcome of patients.