Oral cancer is one of the most common types of cancer, and lifestyle factors like extensive consumption of tobacco, betel quid, and alcohol are the major etiological factors of oral cancer. Treatment of oral cancer includes surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, but this treatment possesses lots of side effects. Therefore, scientists and medical experts are utilizing natural products and medicinal plants for new drug development. Natural products and phytochemicals showed better efficacy with less toxicity. However, most of the phytochemicals showed poor permeability and less bioavailability. To combat this problem, scientists developed nanosized nanoemulsions of phytochemicals to treat various ailments. Nanoemulsions of phytochemicals exhibited better efficacy than their free form due to increased permeability and bioavailability. Numerous phytopharmaceuticals have been formulated for nanoemulsions to date and tested for their anticancer potential against various cancers, including oral cancer and oral health management.
TopIntroduction
Oral cancer is a severe public health issue and a major cause of morbidity and mortality in developed and developing countries (Borse et al., 2020). It is the sixth most common cancer globally (Upadhaya et al., 2019). Oral cancer occurs in the lips, cheeks, mouth, and tongue. Recently, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) released the worldwide cancer burden estimated through GLOBOCAN 2020 estimates. In the report, new cancer cases were increased up to 3, 77,713 in which 1, 77,757 deaths have occurred in 2020 globally (IARC, Cancer fact sheet 2020 https://gco.iarc.fr/today/data/factsheets/cancers/1-Lip-oral-cavity-fact-sheet.pdf). Oral cancer is the third most widespread cancer in India and one of the major challenges for the nation affecting 20 individuals per 1,00,000 annually (Danaraddi et al., 2014; Scrobata et al., 2016). According to a recent report, around 77,000 new cases of oral cancer and 52,000 death cases annually were reported (Borse et al., 2020). Figure 1 showed the scenario of new cancer cases and their death rate in both Indian and global level. Therefore, the incidence of oral cancer and its related mortality rate is continuously increasing. The prevention of oral cancer and its treatment is a major challenging task for the scientist and health professional around the globe. Scientists and health professionals are adopting new and new strategies for cancer treatment to lower its burden and mortality rate.
Figure 1. Graphical representation of Indian and global cancer incidence (A) Incidence and death of new cancer (all sites) at global level as per the GLOBOCAN estimates 2020 (Sung et al., 2021). (B) Incidence and death of oral cancer (lip and oral cavity) at global level (GLOBOCAN estimates 2020; Sung et al., 2021). (C) Incidence and death of oral cancer in India (Borse et al., 2020).
Oral health has a strong association with multiple cancer types, including oral cancer. The oral cavity is a niche of a variety of microorganism species that causes serious oral diseases. For example, a carcinogenic oral bacterium inhabits in the oral cavity and increases the risk of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) (Whitmore and Lamont, 2014). Apart from cancer, pathogenic microorganism accumulation in the oral cavity causes other diseases such as periodontal diseases, orodental trauma, dental caries, cleft lip and palate, etc. The global burden of oral diseases is escalating, and many populations of all ages suffer from the said disease (Ramalingam, 2011; Ramalingam and Amaechi, 2019). Therefore, intensive care should be taken to get rid of cancer risk and oral diseases. Phytochemicals also play a significant role as a disinfectant to microorganisms and help in promoting oral health. In this book chapter, phytochemicals and/or other plant-based products formulated to nanoemulsion in the treatment of oral cancer and other oral diseases were discussed.
TopRisk Factors Of Oral Cancer And Oral Diseases
A group of causative agents of oral cancer is there. Lifestyle factors such as indiscriminate tobacco consumption (both smoking and smokeless tobacco (SLT)) and chewing areca nut play a crucial role in oral carcinogenesis. Studies reported a positive correlation between SLT consumption and cancer incidence (Giri et al., 2021). Oral cancer is also associated with an unhealthy diet and poor dental care.