Porphyrinoids in photodynamic diagnosis and therapy of oral diseases

Abstract

Photodynamic methods have found application not only in the treatment process as photodynamic therapy but also for the early detection of neoplastic lesions and tumors as photodynamic diagnosis. Early detection of the disease allows not only to avoid the patient’s lifetime risk but also significantly reduce the costs of anticancer therapy, which are increasing every year. There is a constant search for new and more effective photosensitizers which will provide safety in therapy while maintaining efficiency. This paper summarizes recent reports focused on the photodynamic diagnosis of oral cancers. Moreover, it shows methods of the photodynamic treatment of oral verrucous hyperplasia, erythroleukoplakia, and oral leukoplakia. The treatment of choice for these diseases is a surgical excision, which always leads to scar formation. Photodynamic therapy provides a new scar-less tool for the treatment.