PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - NICOLA SARDARO AU - FEDORA DELLA VELLA AU - MARIA ANGELA INCALZA AU - DARIO DI STASIO AU - ALBERTA LUCCHESE AU - MARIA CONTALDO AU - CLAUDIA LAUDADIO AU - MASSIMO PETRUZZI TI - Oxidative Stress and Oral Mucosal Diseases: An Overview AID - 10.21873/invivo.11474 DP - 2019 Mar 01 TA - In Vivo PG - 289--296 VI - 33 IP - 2 4099 - http://iv.iiarjournals.org/content/33/2/289.short 4100 - http://iv.iiarjournals.org/content/33/2/289.full SO - In Vivo2019 Mar 01; 33 AB - Background: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and free radicals are physiologically produced during cellular metabolism. When their balance is disrupted in favor of ROS, a condition called oxidative stress occurs. Oxidative stress represents a widespread phenomenon involved in several pathological conditions. The aim of the present review was to report current knowledge on oxidative stress related to oral mucosal diseases. Materials and Methods: Articles from 2000 to 2018 were selected for relevance, validity and quality, from results obtained in PubMed, MEDLINE and Google Scholar using the following search terms: oxidative stress and oral lichen, oral pemphigus, aphthous stomatitis, oral leukoplakia, oral cancer, oral squamous cell carcinoma and oral carcinoma. All articles were independently screened for eligibility by the authors. Results: This narrative review integrates extensive information from all relevant published studies focusing on oxidative stress in oral mucosal diseases. We outline the pathogenetic function of oxidative stress in the most frequent inflammatory, potentially malignant and malignant diseases of the oral mucosa and provide detailed findings from human research. Conclusion: Although variability in findings between individual studies exists, it justifies the conclusion that oxidative stress is a significant process in the oral mucosal diseases pathogenesis.