Saliva-based diagnostics present a viable, non-invasive method of tracking CKD, with the potential to lower medical expenses while simultaneously increasing patient comfort.  Salivary urea, creatinine, calcium and parathyroid hormones may be valuable markers for CKD diagnosis and monitoring. Various saliva collection methods, including stimulated and unstimulated approaches, were investigated for efficiency and reliability, and a correlation was shown between serum and salivary creatinine, urea, PTH, and calcium levels, indicating their potential as CKD biomarkers. Despite these promising findings, challenges such as standardization of collection methods, variability in salivary flow rates, and predictive value in association with blood parameters are addressed to ensure clinical applicability. This lecture will highlight the potentially tool and challenges of salivary fluid in CKD diagnosis and monitoring. 

Candida species, particularly Candida albicans, are opportunistic fungal organisms commonly found in the oral cavity as part of the normal flora, but their role in periodontal diseases has gained attention in recent years. Studies have shown a higher prevalence of Candida in patients with periodontitis compared to healthy individuals, suggesting their potential involvement in disease progression.

These fungi can adhere to oral tissues and dental surfaces, form biofilms, and interact synergistically with periodontopathogenic bacteria, contributing to inflammation and tissue destruction. Factors such as diabetes, immunosuppression, smoking, antibiotic use, and poor oral hygiene can predispose individuals to Candida overgrowth. Their presence in periodontal pockets may complicate treatment, as conventional mechanical debridement might not fully eliminate them.

Continued research is needed to better understand their pathogenic mechanisms and develop targeted therapeutic strategies.

Endodontic disease is a disease that involves the inner part of the tooth, known as the dental pulp. Most health issues do not play a significant role in the establishment of endodontic diseases. However, once endodontic diseases progress to involve the tooth supporting tissues, a bidirectional relationship exists between peri-radicular disease and overall health. The discussion during this forum will focus on the existence of such bidirectional relationships, their possible causes and management.

Oral cancer is synonymous with Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) as more than 90% of malignancies in the oral mucosa are of this type. Prognosis of a malignancy is usually determined with the help of clinical, radiological, histopathological and molecular parameters. Although, TNM staging is considered the most important guideline to predict prognosis of a given cancer various histopathological parameters are of paramount importance not only in predicting prognosis but also treatment planning. The role of predicting prognosis with molecular markers is a long way away compared to most malignancies in the human body and it is not a cost effective tool for the developing world where oral cancer incidence is high. However, the use of histopathological parameters is a feasible method for any country irrespective of the health facilities as it is a basic investigation. Among the histopathological parameters depth of invasion, pattern of invasion, immune response, degree of differentiation and tumour microenvironment can be considered as some of the key areas that should be used effectively to plan treatment and to predict prognosis. These histopathological parameters can be used to good effect together with clinical and radiological features in planning treatment and predicting prognosis of OSSC. Although there are significant number of histopathological models described in the literature, specially for the clinically node negative neck, they need validation under different conditions before recommending for practice. More advanced molecular and histopathological studies using large cohorts of patients will pave the way for possible targeted therapy in the future.