Role of Free Radicals in Oral Carcinogenesis: A Review

DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.13005/bpj/722

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Free radical is a molecule or molecular fragment containing an unpaired electron in the valence shell (i.e. radical) and capable of existing independently (i.e. free)¹. They are unstable, short lived and highly reactive. Oxidative stress is increased and antioxidant defences are compromised in patients with oral cavity cancer. Free radical has a definitive role in cacinogenesis which can also serve as a Potential biomarker for measuring oxidative stress levels in saliva and serum of patients affected with oral cancer and in preventing the possibilities of turning of potentially pre-malignant disorders into malignant disorders. It is necessary to maintain a balance between free radicals and antioxidant defensive mechanism, to prevent the outbreak of Oral Cancer.  

Free radical; oral cancer; Carcinogenesis; biomarker; reactive oxygen species; reactive nitrogen species