Synthetic corticosteroids are widely used for the treatment of a variety of diseases, including pre-malignant and malignant conditions. In striking contrast, recent evidence suggests that corticosteroids can bear tumor-promoting effects in solid tumors of epithelial origin. We have recently shown that epithelial tissues, including the mucosa of the oral cavity and the skin, are able to modulate the local concentration of active corticosteroids and to produce steroids de novo. This has important clinical and physiopathological implications, because tissue-specific regulation of glucocorticoids plays a key role in the overall effect of these molecules. In the present review of the current English literature, performed using MEDLINE/PubMed/Ovid databases, we collected published evidence to demonstrate that corticosteroids induce effects that are more complex and controversial than previously acknowledged. Published studies clearly demonstrate that this class of molecules influences pathophysiological processes that are strictly related to malignancy, providing the rationale for further investigation. J. Cell. Physiol. 231: 2368-2373, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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Third molar removal is one of the most common procedures performed by oral and maxillofacial surgeons within public dental services in Australia. Current guidelines regarding impacted third molar teeth typically advocate for removal only if there is either evidence of disease or repeated episodes of infection. 1 However, the prophylactic removal of third molars without indications of prior disease is standard practice in several large centres worldwide, including our own. This philosophy of practice justifies the known shortterm risks of third molar removal against the known longterm risks of no intervention, including increased surgical difficulty, higher risk of inferior alveolar nerve paraesthesia, and the risk of disease to adjacent teeth.