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Early detection and prevention of oral cancer

Guest Editors:
Márcio Diniz-Freitas: University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago, Spain
Deepak Gupta: Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University), Ambala, India
Shankargouda Patil: Roseman University of Health Sciences, Utah, United States
Alan Roger Santos-Silva: Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas, Brazil


BMC Oral Health has published this Collection on Early detection and prevention of oral cancer.

This new Collection compiles dental, medical, and epidemiological research that will assist clinicians and decision-makers in identifying effective strategies to prevent oral cancer at both the patient and population levels, as well as detecting the disease, especially in "at risk" populations. 

New Content ItemThis collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being and SDG10: Reducing Inequalities.

Meet the Guest Editors

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Márcio Diniz-Freitas: University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago, Spain

After graduating in Dentistry, Dr Diniz-Freitas completed postgraduate training in Oral Medicine, Oral Surgery and Oral implantology and obtained a PhD at the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Presently he holds the position of Associate Professor within the Special Care Dentistry Unit at the School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), Spain. He is an active member of the Oral Medical-Surgical Research Group at USC, and his research has been primarily focused on the areas of Potentially Malignant Disorders, Oral Cancer, and the Oral Manifestations of Systemic Diseases. In addition, he had taken part in several educational initiatives aimed at training healthcare professionals in the prevention and early diagnosis of oral cancer.
 

Deepak Gupta: Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University), Ambala, India

Dr Deepak Gupta completed his postgraduate in Oral Medicine and Maxillofacial Radiology in 2011. He has more than 60 international and national research publications in his credit. He has served as a reviewer of more than 30 reputed international journals. At present, he is Associate Editor of Contemporary Clinical Dentistry and BMC Oral Health. Additionally, he served as Lead Guest Editor and published various peer-reviewed special thematic issues on Maxillofacial Radiology. He is also serving as an Academic Member of the Athens Institute for Education and Research, Greece. Presently he is serving as Head of the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, at M.M. College of Dental Sciences and Research, Mullana, India where he teaches both graduate and postgraduate students.
 

Shankargouda Patil: College of Dental Medicine, Roseman University of Health Sciences, Utah, United States

Dr Shankargouda Patil is a highly regarded researcher in the fields of oral oncology, immunobiology, potentially malignant disorders, and tobacco research. Dr Patil presently serves as a Professor at the College of Dental Medicine, Roseman University of Health Sciences, Utah, United States. Additionally, he is a Visiting Professor of Oral Pathology at the School of Dental Medicine at the University of Siena in Italy. One key area of focus has been the study of chemo-radiation-resistant cancer stem cells, specifically how proliferation and stemness gene expression in cancer stem cells from tumors can be thwarted by inducing them to differentiate into adipocytes and how this response can be harnessed to improve treatments for the disease. Dr Patil is also a leading researcher in the field of potentially malignant disorders, which are pre-cancerous conditions that can lead to oral cancer if not properly treated, and their association with tobacco. With over 14 years of experience in the field, Dr Patil has published over 300 papers (with over 11,000 citations; h-index 40– Google Scholar), including publications in journals of general scientific interest, such as Lancet Neurology, Allergy, Autophagy, Clinical Oral Investigations, Oral Oncology, Medical Oncology, Frontiers in Microbiology, Journal of Oral Pathology and Medicine. Dr Patil was nominated for the Distinguished Scientist Award from the International Association of Dental Research (IADR) in 2019 and is considered to be in the top 2% of scientists in the world based on data published by researchers working at Stanford University in California. He has been a member of the Global Burden of Disease Collaborative Network.

Alan Roger Santos-Silva: Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas, Brazil

Dr Santos-Silva holds a Dental Surgery Doctorate, and is specialized in oral medicine and oral pathology from the Brazilian Federal Dental Council. Additionally, he earned an MSc in Oral Medicine and a PhD in Pathology from UNICAMP, Brazil, including an externship at the University of Sheffield, England. His history involves roles like an Oral Medicine specialist at São Paulo State Cancer Institute, and presently, an Associate Professor at UNICAMP. He is active on the Editorial Board of Oral Surgery Oral Medicine Oral Pathology Oral Radiology, Treasurer of the Brazilian Society of Oral Medicine and Oral Pathology, and Councilor of the International Association of Oral Pathologists. He contributes globally through the World Workshop on Oral Medicine VIII and IARC’s Oral Cancer Prevention Handbook.
 

About the Collection

BMC Oral Health has published this Collection on Early detection and prevention of oral cancer.

Oral cancer continues to be a global health concern, with its prevalence showing a concerning upward trend in recent years. Although there is evidence indicating that human papillomavirus and genetic factors may increase predisposition to oral cancer, the primary causes of oral cancer are considered to be modifiable risk factors such as tobacco usage, alcohol consumption, diet, and poor overall oral health. While it is widely acknowledged that most cases of oral cancer can be prevented and treated through interventions such as surgical procedures or radiotherapy, early identification of disease is crucial for ensuring the best possible patient outcomes. As such, societal disparities, including variation in education, disease awareness, overall well-being, and access to care, significantly impact disease incidence and patient outcomes. By identifying strategies that enhance clinicians' ability to detect and mitigate the risk of oral cancer, the burden on public health can be reduced, particularly in low and middle-income regions and populations that are disproportionately affected by the disease.

This new Collection, Early detection and prevention of oral cancer, compiles dental, medical, and epidemiological research that will assist clinicians and decision-makers in identifying effective strategies to prevent oral cancer at both the patient and population levels, as well as detecting the disease, especially in "at risk" populations. By publishing this Collection, BMC Oral Health demonstrates its support for the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals 3: Good Health and Well-Being (SDG3) and SDG10: Reducing Inequalities.

This Collection focuses specifically on the prevention and detection of oral cancer. Therefore, studies that solely concern prognosis (including in silico analyses of the prognostic value of biomarkers using publicly available databases), disease progression, or long-term patient outcomes were not considered.

Suggested research topics for this Collection included:

  • Strategies for identifying risk factors and diagnosing the disease in clinical settings
  • The application of novel diagnostic tools for oral cancer for early detection including OMICS technologies, molecular imaging, spectroscopy, and advanced imaging techniques
  • The development and application of salivary diagnostics for non-invasive detection of oral cancer
  • The use of Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning to improve diagnostic precision when interpreting imaging data, patient records, and molecular data
  • Epidemiological studies on the incidence of oral cancer and its risk factors
  • Knowledge, attitudes, and training of healthcare professionals
  • Collaborative approaches within healthcare systems to facilitate early diagnosis
  • Implementation research
  • Preventative strategies and interventions
  • Patient education, engagement, and disease awareness
  • The association between poor oral health, overall well-being, and oral cancer
  • Disparities and inequalities in screening, diagnosis, and access to care


Image credit: Nelson / Stock.adobe.com

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Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select Early detection and prevention of oral cancer from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.