Alessandro Polizzi

University of Catania | UNICT · Department of Medical Surgery Speciality (SMC)

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is considered one of the most common sexually transmitted infections and has been shown to play an important role in the pathogenesis of squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) of the cervix and head and neck. Manifestations of HPV infections can be manifold, ranging from asymptomatic infections to benign or potentially malignant...

The regeneration of periodontal bone defects continues to be an essential therapeutic concern in dental biomaterials. Numerous biomaterials have been utilized in this sector so far. However, the immune response and vascularity in defect regions may be disregarded when evaluating the effectiveness of biomaterials for bone repair. Among several regen...

Background Growing evidence suggests the type of periodontal treatment could differentially influence the reduction of key cardiovascular risk mediators in periodontitis patients. This randomized, controlled clinical trial compared the impact of minimally invasive non‐surgical therapy (MINST) with quadrant‐wise subgingival instrumentation (Q‐SI) on...

Aim This study evaluated the efficacy of quadrantwise subgingival instrumentation (Q‐SI) versus one‐stage full‐mouth subgingival instrumentation (FM‐SI) on probing depth and periodontal pathogen reduction over a 6‐month follow‐up period, as well as whether baseline periodontal pathogens influenced the impact of periodontal treatment protocols on ou...

Introduction Periodontitis is the main cause of tooth loss and is related to many systemic diseases. Artificial intelligence (AI) in periodontics has the potential to improve the accuracy of risk assessment and provide personalized treatment planning for patients with periodontitis. This systematic review aims to examine the actual evidence on the...

This chapter delves into the cutting-edge field of noninvasive early biomarkers and chemopreventive strategies for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD). In an era where oral cancers continue to pose a significant global health burden, the need for innovative approaches to early detection and prevention...

Mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) is an autoimmune-based bullous disease affecting the mucous membranes, mainly oral and ocular. One of the most common clinical manifestations is desquamative gingivitis (DG), characterized by intense symptoms and functional limitations. The dentist is among the first specialists to observe DG and, therefore, must be...

Oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) represent a significant global health burden due to their potential for malignant transformation and the challenges associated with their diagnosis and treatment. Chemoprevention, an innovative approach aimed at halting or reversing the neoplastic process before ful...

Background: The relationship between psychological factors and the onset and progression of periodontal disease has recently attracted more academic attention. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the association between psychological stress and periodontitis The study was conducted out on patients with periodontitis. Methods: All the patients...

Oral leukoplakia is a predominantly white lesion of the oral mucosa that cannot be classified as any other definable lesion with the risk of progressing into malignancy. Despite the advancements in conventional therapy, the rates of malignant transformation remain notably high, affecting 4.11% of adults, due to the difficulty of accurate diagnosis...

Objective: The present study evaluated the oral tissue expression of micro-RNA (miRNAs) linked to the potential malignant evolution of oral lichen planus (OLP). Furthermore, the correlation between OLP severity and miRNAs expression was assessed, and possible predictors of miRNAs in OLP patients were identified. Methods: The present study enrolled...

Cardiovascular diseases represent the primary worldwide cause of mortality, and periodontitis is the main cause of tooth loss. The incidence of atherosclerotic disease has been reported to be higher in individuals affected by periodontitis than in individuals without, regardless of many common risk factors are present. Various pathogenetic models h...

The present study aims to assess the serum circulating cell-free (cfDNA) concentrations in patients with periodontitis and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and to evaluate the impact of periodontitis on circulating cfDNA levels and the confounding factors that might mediated the possible relationship. Healthy controls (n=30) and patients with CVD (n=31...

Background: N-terminal portion of the B-type natriuretic propeptide (NT-proBNP) has potentially been shown to play an important role in the development of periodontitis and cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study evaluated the efficacy of periodontal treatment on NT-proBNP and related CVD biomarkers and explored whether subjects harboring high NT...

In the last few decades, circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) has been shown to have an important role in cell apoptosis or necrosis, including in the development and evolution of several tumors and inflammatory diseases in humans. In this regard, periodontitis, a chronic inflammatory disease that can induce the destruction of supporting components of...

The pathogenesis of OLP is not completely known and is the subject of various hypotheses. Among the most widely accepted hypotheses, we find the unifying hypothesis of Sugerman and the modified hypothesis of Carrozzo. The first hypothesis is based on the theoretical interaction between CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, through a cell surface molecule ca...

Epidemiologically, it is one of the most common dermatological diseases afflicting the oral cavity with an estimated prevalence between 0.22 and 5% of the world’s population and an incidence rate of 2.2%, with a female-to-male ratio of 2:1. The age of onset is usually between 30 and 60 years, with very rare clinical cases in very young and pediatri...

There are two clinical OLP subtypes: the white forms of OLP (papular, reticular, annular, and plaque) should be considered as quiescent variants of the disease, while the red forms of OLP (atrophic, erosive or ulcer-erosive, and bullous) are considered clinical evolutionary variants. Histopathologically OLP is a form of interface mucositis characte...

OLP is an immune-inflammatory reaction involving the oral mucosa. Many immunomodulating agents have been proposed and employed for the treatment of this potentially malignant disorder. Topical corticosteroids are universally recognized as first-line treatment of symptomatic OLP/OLL, whereas systemic corticosteroids may have mainly three clinical in...

The etiology of oral lichen planus is still uncertain. The most accepted hypothesis currently correlates OLP with an immunological process triggered by an antigen that alters the keratinocytes of the basal layer of the oral mucosa, making them susceptible to an immune cell response. The latter results in the activation of T lymphocytes and the prod...

OLP (oral lichen planus) is considered to be a chronic inflammatory clinical condition, of non-infective origin, affecting the stratified squamous epithelium of the oral cavity and the underlying lamina propria. Despite the first description of LP (lichen planus) dating back to the second half of the nineteenth century, the pathogenic mechanisms th...

During recent years, considerable progress has been made in understanding the etiopathogenesis of periodontitis in its various forms and their interactions with the host. Furthermore, a number of reports have highlighted the importance of oral health and disease in systemic conditions, especially cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. In this regard...

Objectives To describe the current state of the art regarding technological advances in full-automatic tooth segmentation approaches from 3D cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. Materials and methods In March 2023, a search strategy without a timeline setting was carried out through a combination of MeSH terms and free text words pooled th...

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease of the gums characterized by the degeneration of periodontal ligaments, the formation of periodontal pockets, and the resorption of the alveolar bone, which results in the destruction of the teeth’s supporting structure. Periodontitis is caused by the growth of diverse microflora (particularly anaerobes) in...

The periodontium is an appropriate target for regeneration, as it cannot restore its function following disease. Significantly, the periodontium's limited regenerative capacity could be enhanced through the development of novel biomaterials and therapeutic approaches. Notably, the regenerative potential of the periodontium depends not only on its t...

Non-surgical approaches have been proposed in the management of mandibular fractures, especially in children, but there is a lack of clear guidelines on the clinical indications of conservative approaches. The aim of this scoping review is to provide the available evidence of the role of the orthodontist in the management of mandibular fractures. T...

Periodontitis is a multifactorial and infective oral disease that leads to the destruction of periodontal tissues and tooth loss. Although the treatment of periodontitis has improved recently, the effective treatment of periodontitis and the periodontitis-affected periodontal tissues is still a challenge. Therefore, exploring new therapeutic strate...

Human body is colonized by a florid microbial community of bacteria, archaea, fungi, protists, helminths, and viruses, known as microbiota, which co-evolves with the host and influences its health through all stages of its life. It is well known that oral microorganisms form highly structurally and functionally organized multi-species biofilms and...

Chemical molecules are used by microorganisms to communicate with each other. Quorum sensing is the mechanism through which microorganisms regulate their population density and activity with chemical signaling. The inhibition of quorum sensing, called quorum quenching, may disrupt oral biofilm formation, which is the main etiological factor of oral...

Background and objective: Recent emerging evidence has shown that microRNA (miRNAs) is involved in several epigenetic processes linked with periodontitis, increased oxidative stress and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The present study aimed to assess the impact of periodontitis on gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) miRNAs expression associated with CV...

The principles of periodontal therapy are based on the control of microbial pathogens and host factors that contribute to biofilm dysbiosis, with the aim of modulating the progression of periodontitis and periodontal tissue destruction. It is currently known how differently each individual responds to periodontal treatment, depending on both the ba...

The aim of the study was to systematically review and compare the accuracy of smartphone scanners versus stereophotogrammetry technology for facial digitization in children. A systematic literature search strategy of articles published from 1 January 2010 to 30 August 2022 was adopted through a combination of Mesh terms and free text words pooled t...

Diabetes mellitus and periodontitis are two of the most common chronic diseases affecting the world’s population, and they are intimately linked. For several years, in fact, it has been known that there is an interdependent relationship between the two diseases: Diabetes promotes the destruction of periodontal tissues, and periodontal disease negat...

Orthodontic treatment has become increasingly popular due to its benefits in improving facial and smile aesthetics, self-esteem and the function of the stomatognathic apparatus. However, orthodontic appliances make it more difficult to brush teeth effectively, as they interfere with tooth brushing and facilitate the accumulation of dental plaque (b...

Nowadays, with the development of new and highly sensitive, blood is not the only medium of choice for the diagnosis of several diseases and pathological conditions. Saliva is now considered a safe and non-invasive sample to study oral and systemic diseases, showing great diagnostic potential. According to several recent studies, saliva has emerged...

Objective: In the last few decades, lasers in dentistry have encompassed all branches in dentistry, with more focus in periodontology. In recent years, the use of lasers against periodontitis and peri-implantitis has undergone a decisive development that has involved various operational areas. The broadest applications were probably found in the cl...

Over the last few decades, studies on the oral microbiome have increased awareness that the balance between the host and the microbial species that coexist in it is essential for oral health at all stages of life. However, this balance is extremely difficult to maintain, and many factors can disrupt it: general eating habits, sugar consumption, tob...

Nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome (NBCCS) associated odontogenic keratocysts (OKCs) show more aggressive behavior and it has a higher frequency of relapse than non-syndromic OKCs. Stromal myofibroblasts (MFs), characterized by alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA), desmin and caldesmon expression, and metalloproteinases (MMPs) have an essential...

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a group of skin disorders with skin fragility characterized by blistering from minimal mechanical trauma with rupture at the dermoepidermal junction. There are four major classical heritable EB types, due to mutations in as many as 20 distinct genes: EB simplex (EBS), junctional EB (JEB), dystrophic EB (DEB), and Kindl...

The skin, oral cavity, digestive and reproductive tracts of the human body harbor symbiotic and commensal microorganisms living harmoniously with the host. The oral cavity houses one of the most heterogeneous microbial communities found in the human organism, ranking second in terms of species diversity and complexity only to the gastrointestinal m...

Causes of the progression of periodontitis such as an imbalance between the immune response by the host by the release of inflammatory mediators in the response of the oral pathogenic dysbiotic biofilm have been identified. New insights on specific cell signaling pathways that appear during periodontitis have attracted the attention of researchers...

The aim of this study was to analyse the structural characteristics of the temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) and the dysfunctional consequences induced by disease in subjects with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). The study was conducted in 25 patients with JIA (median age (IQR), 13.9 (10.9–15.3)) and 26 healthy controls (median age (IQR), 14.3 (11...

Aim: The aim of the present study was to measure dental anxiety levels and oral health-related qualities of life (OHRQoL) in patients with periodontitis compared to healthy controls and to analyze their association with various demographic, clinical and periodontal parameters. Methods: Fifty-five patients with periodontitis and 56 healthy controls...

In the last few decades, growing evidence have shown a possible impact of diet and nutrients on oral health. This review aims to describe, in the light of current knowledge, the role of diet, nutrients, and micronutrients in periodontal health and periodontal diseases. A variety of macronutrients and micronutrients could have an impact on periodont...

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of two different therapies on oral lichen planus (OLP) treatment through the analysis of OLP symptoms and signs and to analyze the risk of side effects related to the adopted protocols. Methods Thirty-eight patients with OLP were selected according to van der Meij and van der Waal clinical and histopathologi...

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated that a soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) plays an essential function in leukocytes and endothelial homeostasis and, therefore, in the development of coronary heart disease (CHD) and periodontitis. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of gingival health, periodont...

The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of Early Childhood Caries (ECC) and oral habits among preschool children from a southern Italian cohort. The survey population consisted of 300 subjects randomly selected among children attending two kindergartens in Catania, Italy. The prevalence of ECC and oral habits were clinically evaluate...

During the last few decades, it has been established that messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) transcription does not inevitably lead to protein translation, but there are numerous processes involved in post-transcriptional regulation, which is a continuously developing field of research. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of small non-coding RNAs, which...

Background: Nod-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing protein-3 (NLRP3) complex inflammasome has potentially been shown to play an important role in the development of periodontitis and diabetes. The objective of this study was to analyze the association between serum and salivary NLRP3 concentrations in patients with periodontitis and type...

Background and Objective Different evidence has shown that Galectins have a key role as modulators of cell surface functions and signaling in a wide range of inflammatory diseases during their preclinical stages. The aim of this study was to analyze the association and impact of periodontitis and coronary heart disease (CHD) on salivary and serum G...

Background and aims: The concept of dental anxiety related to patients’ concerns about the psychosocial impact of their dental appearance has been demonstrated to have a significant influence on the initiation and adherence to certain dental treatments, particularly in adult patients with periodontitis undergoing orthodontic treatment. This study a...

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) has been shown to play a key role in endothelial function and perhaps pivotal in the correlation between periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease (CVD). For the study, the impact of MMP-9 of periodontitis and CVD on serum and saliva concentrations was analyzed. For the study patients with periodontitis (n =...

Objective Nutraceutical agents have been demonstrated as adjuncts for the treatment of several inflammatory diseases. The present study analyzed and compared new nutraceutical agent as an adjunct to Scaling and root planing (SRP) versus SRP alone for the treatment of periodontitis.Materials and methodsSixty-six patients with moderate periodontitis...

The aim of the present study was to analyze the association among systemic sclerosis (SSc), periodontitis (PT); we also evaluated the impact of PT and SSc on vitamin D levels. Moreover, we tested the association with potential confounders. A total of 38 patients with SSc, 40 subjects with PT, 41 subjects with both PT and SSc, and 41 healthy control...

Objective The aim of this study was to analyze and identify the association among salivary interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels and periodontitis (PT) and to determine the significant trend of this association in PT patients. Study design For the present study, 49 patients with PT and 47 healthy subjects (HS) were enrolled and assessed for clinical paramet...

Introduction: The aim of the study is to evaluate the correlation between the presence of pepsin in saliva and dental erosion in patients with GERD. Materials and methods: 100 adult patients with typical GERD symptoms have been tested with the salivary pepsin test (PEPTEST which was used to assess the presence of pepsin in saliva and, therefore, fo...

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic, inflammatory, immune-mediated disease, which can alter the quality of life of patients. The aim of this randomized clinical trial was to compare the therapeutic efficacy of clobetasol oral gel 0.05% versus an anti-inflammatory in oral solution (mouthwash) in the management of patients suffering from symptomati...

Background The aim of this study was to assess the association between serum and salivary Immunoglobulin (Ig) Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans ( A. actinomycetemcomitans) specific antibodies in healthy controls (HC) and periodontitis (PT) patients. Furthermore, the objectives were to determine whether PT influenced serum A. actinomycetemcomita...

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder has been reported to be 1.5 to two times more common in women than men. Such a gender-based difference could be attributed to behavioral, hormonal, anatomical, and psychological characteristics. Physiological hormonal differences between genders could be one of the possible explanations for the higher incidenc...

The need for extractions in orthodontic treatment has always been a controversial topic. However, to date there is not a specific clinical guideline that can help the clinicians deciding to plan an extractive or a non-extractive orthodontic treatment. In this respect, clinicians must deal with patients’ occlusal, functional, periodontal and aesthet...

Patients still refuse or discontinue orthodontic treatment due to related pain and discomfort. In this study, we investigate if low-level laser therapy (LLLT) can reduce pain caused by orthodontic bands. Sixty subjects who needed bands placed on the upper permanent first molars were assigned randomly to the LLLT group, placebo, and control groups....

In this trial, we evaluated the influence on plasma and salivary myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels of periodontal health, coronary heart disease (CHD), periodontitis, or both periodontitis and CHD. Clinical and periodontal parameters were collected from periodontitis patients (n = 31), CHD patients (n = 31), patients with both periodontitis and CHD (n =...

Endothelin 1 (ET-1) has been shown to have a key role in homeostasis and function of endothelium and maybe fundamental in the relationship between coronary heart disease (CHD) and periodontitis. In this trial, we assessed the influence on serum and salivary ET-1 levels of gingival health, CHD, periodontitis, or a combination of periodontitis-CHD. C...

Background: Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is a multi-system disorder that can have significant adverse effects upon the oral health. The aim of this study was to analyze the associations between SSc, periodontal disease (PD) and tooth loss and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). Methods: For the study were enrolled 70 patients affected by SSc...

The objective of study was to evaluate the impact of periodontitis on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients affected by juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Sixty consecutive patients with JIA with or without periodontitis and 33 healthy control subjects were enrolled in the study. The demographic data, disease activity and clinica...

The aim of the present study was to investigate the association and impact of periodontitis and tooth loss on a subtype of endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) levels (CD133+/KDR+). Furthermore, the objective was to determine if the periodontal status influenced CD133+/KDR+ levels. In all, 88 patients with periodontitis and 79 healthy controls (HCs) w...

Vitamin C and antioxidants play a crucial role in endothelial function and may be a link for the known interaction of periodontitis and ischemic heart disease (CAD). This pilot study evaluates the association of gingival health, periodontitis, CAD, or both conditions with salivary and serum vitamin C and antioxidant levels. The clinical and periodo...

Malondialdehyde (MAA) within a lipid pathway has been demonstrated to possess an important role in endothelial function that undergoes periodontitis and coronary heart disease (CHD) development. This study evaluated the impact of periodontitis, CHD, or a combination of both diseases (periodontitis + CHD) on salivary and serum MAA levels. The period...