Prof. Umberto Romeo, DMD, DDS
Chairman World Federation Laser Dentistry (WFLD) European Division (ED)
Sapienza University of Rome
Associate Professor of Oral Medicine and Oral Pathology

Vice-President School of Dentistry
Director EMDOLA Master of Science-Rome
Past-President SILO (Italian Society of Oral Laser)

Blue light laser (445nm) in oral soft tissue surgery

In the last few decades, clinical experience showed different advantages in using a laser device rather than a scalpel during oral soft tissue surgery. The aspect focused by this lecture is the possibility to use the 445nm diode laser (Eltech K-Laser srl, Treviso, Italy) in complete safety, during the surgery of oral soft tissue. The Author evaluate the histological effects at microscopy, presenting an ex-vivo study, and the clinical results through the presentation of various clinical cases. He showed that the 445-nm diode laser creates a minimum thermal effect, that has no implications in the histological evaluation of benign lesions and that in suspicious lesions, a safety margin of 1 mm, compared with a scalpel, is preferable. He concluded that the blue laser has an excellent surgical properties and can manage many arduous clinical cases, such as vascularized lesions.

On-line: How the Prevention of Oral Cancer Has Changed?

Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) represents 90% of lip and oral cancers. OSCC is considered the twelfth most prevalent cancer worldwide. Lip and oral cancer, as one of the Head and Neck Cancers (HNCs) subtypes, is considered the 16th most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide in both sexes. In 2018, the annual estimated number of incident cases with oral and lip cancer was 354,864 cases worldwide and 3967 cases in Italy. The annual estimated number of deaths due to oral and lip cancer was 177,384 cases worldwide and 1489 cases in Italy. Many risk factors have been linked to oral and lip cancer; such as human papillomavirus infection, local chronic trauma, exposure to ultraviolet radiations, low-antioxidants diet, immunosuppression and Oral Potentially Malignant Lesions (OPMLs). Tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption are the most common associated risk factors of OSCC. They are the major risk factors in 74% of cases with OSCC in the western world. Another important aspect to note is the role of HPVa as risk factor. The Author presents new perspectives on prevention of oral cancer through the following point: patient identikit, new classification of OPMLs, new diagnostic techniques and the use of biomarkers.