Oral diseases, such as periodontitis, salivary gland diseases, and oral cancers, significantly challenge health conditions due to their detrimental effects on patient’s digestive functions, pronunciation, and esthetic demands. Delayed diagnosis and non-targeted treatment profoundly influence patients’ prognosis and quality of life. The exploration of innovative approaches for early detection and precise treatment represents a promising frontier in oral medicine. Exosomes, which are characterized as nanometer-sized extracellular vesicles, are secreted by virtually all types of cells. As the research continues, the complex roles of these intracellular-derived extracellular vesicles in biological processes have gradually unfolded. Exosomes have attracted attention as valuable diagnostic and therapeutic tools for their ability to transfer abundant biological cargos and their intricate involvement in multiple cellular functions. In this review, we provide an overview of the recent applications of exosomes within the field of oral diseases, focusing on inflammation-related bone diseases and oral squamous cell carcinomas. We characterize the exosome alterations and demonstrate their potential applications as biomarkers for early diagnosis, highlighting their roles as indicators in multiple oral diseases. We also summarize the promising applications of exosomes in targeted therapy and proposed future directions for the use of exosomes in clinical treatment.

牙周炎、唾液腺疾病和口腔癌等口腔疾病对患者的消化功能、发音和审美要求产生不利影响，对健康状况提出了重大挑战。延误诊断和非靶向治疗深刻影响患者的预后和生活质量。探索早期检测和精准治疗的创新方法代表了口腔医学的一个有前途的前沿领域。外泌体的特征是纳米大小的细胞外囊泡，几乎由所有类型的细胞分泌。随着研究的继续，这些细胞内来源的细胞外囊泡在生物过程中的复杂作用逐渐显现。外泌体作为有价值的诊断和治疗工具而引起人们的关注，因为它们能够转移丰富的生物货物并复杂地参与多种细胞功能。在这篇综述中，我们概述了外泌体在口腔疾病领域的最新应用，重点关注炎症相关的骨疾病和口腔鳞状细胞癌。我们描述了外泌体的改变，并展示了它们作为早期诊断生物标志物的潜在应用，强调了它们作为多种口腔疾病指标的作用。我们还总结了外泌体在靶向治疗中的有前景的应用，并提出了外泌体在临床治疗中使用的未来方向。