Objectives: Opiorphin is an enkephalinase inhibitor which suppresses pain by acting on the opioid system. The levels of opiorphin in plasma and saliva have shown to vary in patients with burning mouth syndrome. This descriptive study was designed to estimate the salivary levels of opiorphin among individuals with painful oral soft-tissue conditions. Materials and Methods: Unstimulated whole saliva was collected from 60 individuals (20 controls, 20 traumatic and inflammatory conditions, and 20 patients with oral potentially malignant disorders [OPMDs] and oral cancer). The salivary levels of opiorphin were assessed through competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: The mean level of opiorphin among controls was 7.108 ± 2.535 ng/ml, among individuals with traumatic and inflammatory conditions was 9.409 ± 2.369 ng/ml, and in individuals with OPMDs and oral cancer was 8.268 ± 2.414 ng/ml. A positive correlation was observed between salivary opiorphin levels and age of the patient (r = 0.028). Conclusion: The varying levels of opiorphin in painful oral mucosal conditions and with age indicate its role in local pain modulating mechanisms.

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Background: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic T cell-mediated, immunological, mucocutaneous disease with a number of genes and inflammatory mediators implicated in its pathogenesis. Heart shock protein 70 and the proinflammatory mediator TNFα have been predominantly involved in the etiopathogenesis of oral lichen planus. Methods: In this study, the action of 27 commonly used drugs for treating OLP at HSP70 and TNFα were evaluated by molecular docking using Maestro Schrodinger version 10.1. X-ray crystallographic structures of the target proteins, that is, Heat Shock Protein 70 (PDB Code: 6FDT) and tumor necrosis factor alpha-1 (PDB Code: 1TNF) were obtained from Protein Data Bank (PDB). The structures of the ligands (27 drugs) were obtained from PubChem in.sdf format. Using Ligprep, pre-processing of the ligands was done. Extra-precision docking was performed with the prepared protein and the ligands. Results: With respect to HSP70, the highest dock score (−4.768) and glide score (−4.818) were seen with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), followed by epigallocatechin gallate (green tea), methotrexate, and curcumin. The highest dock (−9.525) and glide score (−9.584) in TNFα were seen in with epigallocatechin gallate, followed by HCQ, dapsone, and methotrexate. Conclusion: The results of the study tend to explain the clinical use of HCQ in recalcitrant and severe cases, as well as the anti-inflammatory property of epigallocatechin gallate. The results of the study open ventures for exploring the in silico behavior of drugs for effective pathological management. K E Y W O R D S heat shock proteins, molecular docking, oral lichen planus, pathogenesis, tumor necrosis factor-alpha 1 | INTRODUC TI ON Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic T cell-mediated, immunological, mucocutaneous disease of unknown etiology. The oral mucosa is commonly involved and may be the only site of involvement. OLP has varied clinical presentation varying from reticular pattern, papules, plaques, erythema, and blisters to erosions affecting buccal mucosa, tongue, and gingiva. 1 Various factors have been hypothesized for initiation and aggravation of OLP. 2 The pathogenesis of OLP involves activation of cytotoxic T cells against the epithelial keratinocytes.

Aims: The objective was to examine the predictors of readiness to quit tobacco among oral potentially malignant disorder (OPMD) and oral cancer (OC) patients in dental health care setting. Settings and Design: Two hundred and seven patients diagnosed with OC or OPMDs comprising 153 males and 54 females, with mean age being 52.2 years, with varying levels of addiction formed the study group. Subjects and Methods: Readiness to quit tobacco as measured by the ladder of change and the single-item readiness question was significantly correlated with measures of perceived risk. Statistical Analysis Used and Results: Pearson’s correlations showed that readiness to quit tobacco was significantly correlated with the participant’s perception of his or her health compared with other tobacco users of the same age ( P < 0.005). Readiness to quit was positively correlated with the degree to which participants felt that their oral condition is related to their tobacco use ( P < 0.001), how much their general health is affected by tobacco use ( P < 0.01), and how much quitting tobacco could influence their health positively ( P < 0.001). Post hoc analyses showed that readiness to quit was also significantly and negatively correlated with nicotine addiction ( P < 0.001) and decisional balance scores ( P < 0.01). Conclusions: There is an urgent need for tobacco risk assessment, intervention, and education with this population of patients, and hence, health professionals can play a significant role in motivating and assisting to quit.

Oral genodermatoses includes a spectrum of inherited dermatological disorders with varying oral mucosal manifestations. Darier's disease is an autosomal dominant disorder with defect in desmosomal attachment. This case report presents oro cutaneous manifestations of Darier's disease in a 40 year old female patient with a detailed review on etiology, pathogenesis, differential diagnosis and management of the condition.