Special attention has been given, in latest years, to the correlation between the redox mechanisms and human health. As known, oxidative stress, induced by the reactive oxygen species (ROS), is viewed as a major cause of various medical affections, including maladies of the life style, dementia, liver diseases, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic inflammatory diseases, cancer. Recent investigations evidenced the correlation between dental affections and the oxidative stress. In stomatology, the reactive oxygen species are involved in the periodontal disease, one of the two main dental affections, following caries. The free radicals have a harmful effect upon the main organs of the human body, caused by the installation of lipidic peroxidation and irreversible protein modification, which induces cell apoptosis and programmed cell death. The free radicals, resulted from biochemical cell physiological processes, are the main promoters of the oxidation process, with their instability as the main cause. The oxygen-containing free radicals are the best-known reactive oxygen species. The human body neutralizes the harmful effect of the free radicals through the production of endogenous antioxidants, such as: dismutase superoxide, catalase, glutathione, melatonin. The study domain of nutraceutics demonstrated the antioxidant capacity of substances such as vitamin A, B, C, E, coenzyme Q10, selenium, flavonoids, lipoic acid, carotenoids, lycopene, present in some aliments. Some research fields approach the interaction among the reactive oxygen species, exogenous antioxidants and microbiota, in order to promote a higher protection through peroxidation of macromolecules (proteins and lipides) by maintaining a dynamic balance among the species forming the microbiota. A correlation may be observed between the oxidative stress and oral microbiota, and the utilization of antioxidants against them.
Keywords: oral health, reactive oxygen species, oxidative stress, antioxidants, inflammation, electrospin resonance, marketing.