Association Between Oral Microbiota and Oral Leukoplakia: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Literature evidence suggests a significant gap in research exploring the association between the oral microbiota and leukoplakia. So, this review aimed to thoroughly assess the body of research and look at the connection between leukoplakia and the oral microbiome. Databases such as Pubmed/MEDLINE (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online), Embase (Excerpta Medica Database), Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL (Cumulated Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), and Cochrane Library were searched using MeSH keywords using a standard data extraction protocol that was designed to ensure comprehensive extraction of relevant information from the selected studies, adhering to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. Seven studies were selected that were relevant to this review's objectives. The findings indicate that patients with leukoplakia had a diverse oral microbiota compared to healthy controls. The connection between the oral microbiomes of leukoplakia patients and oral cancer cases was also found, indicating possible microbial profile similarities. By shedding light on particular microbial species and variations in the oral microbial flora of leukoplakia, the studies that were included in this review reveal possible biomarkers and provide a deeper knowledge of the disease mechanism. The considerable overlap between oral microbiomes in leukoplakia cases highlights the need for more research into common microbial indicators and the implications for diagnosis and prognosis.

Keywords: dysbiosis; leukoplakia; oral microbiome; oral squamous cell carcinoma; pre-malignant disorders.

Figure 1. Flow chart of the studies included

Figure 2. Risk of bias of included studies