Leptin’s role in oral physiology and physiopathology

Leptin was characterized for the first time 20 years ago as an anorexigenic peptide that acts on the hypothalamus and has since been described as having a key role in the functioning of a great number of tissues. The mouth is one of the areas of the body where this peptide influences processes, such as growth induction and differentiation of various dental and periodontal tissues, modulation of sweet tastes’ perception in the taste buds, swallowing regulation and immune response activation. Moreover, leptin also plays an important role in mediating the response to different oral aggressors, such as periodontopathic bacteria and alcohol, as well as its involvement in certain types of mouth cancer. This review aims to provide an overview of leptin’s known roles on the oral cavity to date, ranging from its function in a healthy mouth to its involvement in oral physiopathology.