Oral Immunology

The oral cavity is a complex environment from an immunological perspective. Chronic exposure of the oral cavity to a plethora of microorganisms and antigens highlights the importance of the role of mucosal and systemic immune system protection against these microbes and particles.

Nevertheless, dysregulation of the host-immune interaction may be the main cause of some chronic oral conditions, such as periodontal diseases. The clinical relevance of the association between oral pathological conditions and the occurrence of systemic diseases has increased clinicians' interest in understanding the underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms of this clinical relationship. On the other hand, oral manifestations are one of the primary signs of Primary and Secondary Immunodeficiency Diseases, Immune Dysregulations, and Autoimmunity in some cases; this can be an effective diagnostic approach that should not be overlooked.

In this book, the mechanism of oral tolerance and probable causes of its imbalance will be addressed. As the assessment of interrelationship between immunity and oral cavity is still understudied from numerous aspects, this book aims to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of how oral diseases may be the leading cause for the development of different systemic conditions. It also explores the clinicopathological roles of the immunological factors in oral pathological conditions such as oral malignancies, chronic diseases, and other oral lesions. In addition to mucosal immunology of the oral cavity, the future perspectives of oral mucosal immunotherapy are among the emerging issues of the past decade that will be discussed comprehensively in this book.