Nanomaterials-mediated photodynamic therapy and its applications in treating oral diseases

Oral diseases, such as dental caries, periodontitis and oral cancer, have a very high morbidity over the world. Basically, many oral diseases are commonly related to bacterial infections or cell malignant proliferation, and usually located on the superficial positions. These features allow the convenient and efficient application of photodynamic therapy (PDT) for oral diseases, since PDT is ideally suitable for the diseases on superficial sites and has been widely used for antimicrobial and anticancer therapy. Photosensitizers (PSs) are an essential element in PDT, which induce the generation of a large number of reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon absorption of specific lights. Almost all the PSs are small molecules and commonly suffered from various problems in the PDT environment, such as low solubility and poor stability. Recently, reports on the nanomedicine-based PDT have been well documented. Various functionalized nanomaterials can serve either as the PSs carriers or the direct PSs, thus enhancing the PDT efficacy. Herein, we aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of the features of different oral diseases and discuss the potential applications of nanomedicine-based PDT in the treatment of some common oral diseases. Also, the concerns and possible solutions for nanomaterials-mediated PDT are discussed.

Automated summary

Oral diseases, such as dental caries, periodontitis and oral cancer, are commonly caused by bacterial infections or malignant cell proliferation. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an effective treatment for these diseases as it can be easily applied to superficial lesions and has antimicrobial and anticancer properties. However, the use of photosensitizers (PSs) in PDT is limited by their low solubility and stability. Recent advances in nanomedicine-based PDT have addressed these limitations by utilizing functionalized nanomaterials as carriers or direct PSs, thereby enhancing the efficacy of PDT. This review provides a comprehensive understanding of different oral diseases and discusses the potential applications of nanomedicine-based PDT in their treatment, as well as the concerns and possible solutions for nanomaterials-mediated PDT.