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An Overview of Oral
Medicine
WHAT IS ORAL MEDICINE?
“The specialty of dentistry concerned
with the oral health care of patients
with chronic, recurrent and medically
related disorders of the oral and
maxillofacial region, and with their
diagnosis and non-surgical management.”
• Some conditions are very common e.g.
mouth ulcers, white patches and
infections (usually viral and fungal)
• Some conditions are very distressing
e.g. orofacial granulomatosis and
Sjogren’s syndrome
• Some conditions are persistent and
difficult to manage e.g. psychogenic
facial pain
The mouth - what’s it got to do
with medicine?
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An entity in its own right – dentistry !
The upper end of the GIT- gastroenterology !
In continuity with the skin – dermatology !
Often reflects haematological problems at an early
stage
• Oral mucosa not dissimilar to genital mucosa –
combinations of oral, genital and conjunctival
problems occur
• Can frequently be affected by side effects of
medication – dryness, ulceration, pigmentation etc.
• Has a lot of sensory cortex devoted to it - oral
problems are often very distressing– psychiatry !
Which One Is Potentially Serious
Three key questions
• What is it ?
• What is its significance ?
• What should be done about it ?
What is it ?
• History
• Examination
• Investigations
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Biopsy
Haematological
Imaging
Etc
What is its significance ?
• Is it ?
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Local (single/multiple)
General (systemic)
Benign (nuisance)
Malignant (serious)
A Syndrome
What should be done about it ?
• Leave +/- review
• Treat
• Refer
Surgical sieve
• Congenital – developmental ,
hereditary/familial
• Traumatic - physical/chemical/thermal
• Inflammatory – acute / chronic
• Neoplastic – benign / malignant
• Other
Oral mucosa
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Limited ways it can react to an insult
It can breakdown – (ulceration)
It can thicken – (white patches)
It can blister – (vesiculobullous disorders)
It can pigment – (eg. with melanin)
Consequently many oral disorders can
appear very similar !
History and investigation (eg. Biopsy) are
often essential
Oral Ulceration
Causes of Oral Ulceration
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Traumatic
Recurrent aphthous stomatitis
Viral disease
Dermatological conditions
Malignancy
Traumatic
• Mechanical
(toothbrush,
dentures)
• Chemical (aspirin
burn)
• Thermal (pipe
smoking, hot food)
Traumatic
• Mechanical
(toothbrush,
dentures)
• Chemical (aspirin
burn)
• Thermal (pipe
smoking, hot food)
Traumatic
• Mechanical
(toothbrush,
dentures)
• Chemical (aspirin
burn)
• Thermal (pipe
smoking, hot food)
Management of traumatic oral
ulceration
• Try to identify and remove the cause
• Review in 2 weeks
• If not healed, reconsider diagnosis e.g.
if it is a solitary ulcer, consider
carcinoma and requires biopsy
Recurrent Aphthous
Stomatitis
• Occurs in 20% of the population
• Definite cause unknown, but some
precipitating factors or triggers have
been identified
• Mainly “minor aphthous stomatitis”
(80%) but also “major” & “herpetiform”
(20%) stomatitis
Minor RAS
• < 1cm round/oval
ulcers - painful
• Occur in crops,
variable with ulcer
free periods
• Last up to 10 days &
heal without scarring
• Never occur on
keratinised mucosa
(hard palate or
attached gingiva)
Major Aphthous Ulceration
• > 1cm, irregular,
deep ulcers
• Heal after several
weeks with scarring
• Destructive
• Occur anywhere on
the oral mucosa
• Can mimic
malignancy!
Aetiology
• Idiopathic
• Complex genetic (multifactorial)
disease
Genetic
hypersensitivity
Stress/
Smoking
cessation
RAS……known triggers
• Haematinic deficiency in 20%, with 60%
positive response following appropriate
supplementation
– Check Hb, ferritin, Vit.B12 & Folate
• Psychological factors
• Allergies (preservatives e.g. benzoic
acid E210-219), fizzy drinks
• Trauma (penetrating) (crisps, also
preservatives!)
• Cessation of smoking (reverts mucosa to
normal non-keratinised state)
• Drugs
• Family history (not genetic)
• Endocrine
• Immunological factors
• No microbiological association
Bowel problems associated with
RAS
• Crohn’s disease
• Ulcerative
colitis
• Coeliac disease
Gluten Enteropathy – Coeliac
Disease
• Allergy to wheat products
• Starts during early
childhood - weaning
• Lose villi
• Malabsorption
• Fatty stools – steatorrhoea
• Failure to thrive
• Aphthous ulcers
• (Dermatitis herpetiformis)
Systemic history for RAS
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Lassitude
Weakness
Breathlessness
Abdominal pain
Frequency and type of stool
Weight loss
ANAEMIA
GIT problems
Management of RAS
• Confirm diagnosis by eliminating any systemic
underlying cause
– Check for haematinic deficiency
– If suspect systemic involvement refer to specialist
• Therapy
– How severe are the symptoms
– How frequent are the ulcers
– Location of the ulcer
Treatment options
• No treatment
• Prevention/treatment of/for possible causes
– Sodium Lauryl Sulfate-Free Toothpastes
– Sharp edges, ill fitting prosthesis, calculus
• Topical therapy
• Systemic therapy
• Referral for severe disease
RAS management
• Pain relief – lignocaine lollipops, Gengigel,
Aloclair, Difflam
• Address precipitating factors e.g.
replacement therapy & investigation of
underlying cause. Often asking children to
eliminate (individually) fizzy drinks, crisps &
chocolate helps
• Treatment can include Corlan pellets, steroid
in orobase (protects and a small amount of
steroid) Tetracycline mouthwash in adults
(not pregnant)
• Gengigel (Hyaluronic acid) gives good
pain relief and accelerates healing –
useful in children as non-irritant
• More severe cases require a steroid
inhaler or betnesol mouthwashes
(occasional use)
• Systemic steroids on rare occasions
(short course)
Systemic therapy
• Prednisolone
– Burst therapy (5-30mg once in morning for 5
days)
• Immunomodulator
– Azathioprine
– Colchicine
– Thalidomide (TNF- inhibitor)
Guidelines for prescribing topical
steroids for oral lesions
• Topical medications are effective on contact therefore
anything by mouth should be avoided for ½ -1 hr
• Gel applied directly on lesion after meals & at bedtime 34 times daily
• Could apply it on gauze for large lesions for 15-30 min
Guidelines for prescribing
systemic steroids for oral lesions
• Tapering of prednisolone is not necessary
with 5-7 days burst therapy
• Tapering of prednisone is not necessary
with alternate day therapy if dose did not
exceed 20 mg
• 30-60 mg AM X 5 days followed by 5-20
mg AM every other day
Behcet’s Syndrome
• RAS
• Ocular – uveitis,optic atrophy,retinal
vasculitis
• Genital ulceration
• Dermatological eg. Pustules
• Neurological – symptoms like MS
• Joint disease – recurrent arthralgia
• Others – eg.depression
• Strong association with HLA B5
Epidemiology
• The usual onset of the disease is in
the third and fourth decade of life.
• Male to female ratio is approximately
equal.
Epidemiology
• Prevalence in Turkey 80-370:100,000
• Prevalence in UK
(0.3-0.5):100,000
Behcet’s
• Affects persons of Mediterranean,
Middle Eastern, or Japanese decent
• Easily confused with Stevens-Johnson
syndrome or Reiter’s disease
• Need referral for systemic treatment
Treatment
• Multidisciplinary approach
• Systemic therapy
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Corticosteroid
Azathioprine
Colchicine
Thalidomide (TNF- inhibitor)
Viral Oral Ulceration
• Tends to be all over the mouth,
including keratinised epithelium
• Usually extensive ulceration
• If primary HSV, may be preceded by
flu-like illness and no previous history
of cold sores
• If secondary HSV, should be history of
cold sores
Dermatological causes of oral
ulceration
• Lichen planus
• Lupus
• Vesiculobullous disorders
• Erythema multiforme
Oral Lichen Planus
• A common chronic inflammatory
mucocutaneous disorder which affects
the skin and mucous membranes (mainly
mouth)
• Occurs in approximately 1% of the
population, usually in middle age and is
slightly more common in females
Clinical presentation
• Reticular – often symptoms of roughness
rather than pain
• Papular – raised white areas of 1-2mm in
diameter
• Plaques – homogeneous leukoplakia, more usual
in smokers
• Atrophic – thin mucosa, red but not ulcerated
and often painful
• Erosive – frank painful ulcers
• Bullous – vesicles or small blisters within
white patches
Ulcerative Lichen Planus
• Erosive or desquamative
types
• Intermittent ulcers for
up to 20 years
• If unilateral may be
lichenoid - ? Related to
old amalgam or other
contact allergy
• Can be drug related
• Usually striae present
• If lichenoid try to eliminate allergen,
whereas treat LP symptomatically &
attempt to eliminate ulceration
• Attempt to maintain intact mucosa i.e.
revert to white patch or striae
• Use potent steroids with caution in case
of potential risk of malignant change
OLP – malignant transformation
risk
• Erosive & plaque
variants
• ~ 1% over 5-10 year
period
• Dysplastic lichen planus
Lupus
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Discoid (DLE)
Systemic (SLE)
“Butterfly” rash on face
Oral red/white patches
Sunray appearance
Oral ulceration
Sjogren’s & TMJ
disease - autoimmune
• Oral malignancies
Vesiculobullous disorders
• Pemphigus
• Pemphigoid
• Erythema
multiforme (also
under allergy)
Pemphigus
• An autoimmune disorder characterised
by widespread bullous or blistering
eruptions of skin and mucous
membranes
• Potentially fatal as there is gross loss
of fluids and electrolytes as well as
wound infections
• 70% present in mouth first (50% in
mouth only)
• Usually the elderly
• Rarely see blisters – usually irregular ulcers
and skin tags
• Usually on areas of pressure (e.g. denture)
• May present as a sore throat
• Ulcers differ from RAS as bigger, present in
older people and are persistent.
• Most common type of oral presentation is P.
vulgaris
• Need to treat for life as potentially fatal and
autoimmune.
Pemphigus
• Not easily
distinguished from
pemphigoid, which is
not fatal, but can
cause blindness as
can involve eyes and
scarring causes
opacity
(symblepharon)
Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid vs.
Bullous Pemphigoid
• BP mainly affects skin
with occasional mucosal
involvement
• Elderly (>60)
• Starts with pruritus
then fluid filled bulla
develop
• 20% shows oral lesions
(desquamative gingivitis)
Desquamative Gingivitis
• Hypersensitivity
• Lichen planus
• Pemphigoid or pemphigus
• Requires good oral hygiene!
Idiopathic oral blood blisters
(angina bullosa haemorrhagica)
Clinical presentation
1. Sudden onset
2. Soft palate usually
involved
3. Unknown cause
1. Eating
2. Dental treatment
4. Self limiting
Erythema Multiforme
• An acute, self limiting eruption of the
skin and mucous membranes
• Antigen can be HSV, EBV, Mycoplasma,
sulphonamides, phenytoin, other drugs
(including alcohol)
• May be prodromal flu-like symptoms
followed by widespread vesiculobullous
eruptions of skin, oral, genital & ocular
mucosa
• Ulcers all over mouth and lips (crusting)
• Skin lesions are either bullous or “target”
lesions
• Usually resolves in 10-14 days
• Management is supportive – no particular
diagnostic test or treatment (topical
anaesthetic & betnesol mouthwash). Ensure
fluid intake is adequate
• Recurs, but each episode is less severe
• Severe form is Stevens – Johnson Syndrome
Importance of History in Oral
Ulceration
• Have the patients had previous ulcers
and are they cyclical or persistent
• Age of patient
• Site of ulcers - ? On keratinised or nonkeratinised mucosa
• Has the patient had herpes in the past?
• Has the patient any known allergies?
• Does it involve any other mucosal sites?
• Has the patient started new drugs that
preceded onset of ulcers
• Has the patient stopped smoking
• Is the patient in generally good health
Diffuse Lip Swelling
• Orofacial
Granulomatosis
• Allergic angioedema
• Hereditary
angioedema
Orofacial Granulomatosis
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Lip swelling
Oral ulceration
Mucosal tags
Angular cheilitis
Cobblestone mucosa
Full-width gingivitis
Causes of OFG
• Allergy
• Crohn’s disease – may not manifest
itself until 10 years after onset of OFG!
• Others – foreign bodies, sarcoidosis
Investigations of OFG
• FBC, B12, Red cell
folate, ferritin,
LFT’s, CRP
• Buccal mucosal
biopsy down to
muscle
• Patch testing (Type
4 hypersensitivity)
• GIT investigations
(?Crohn’s)
• Most common allergens identified on
patch testing in OFG are benzoic acid
(E210-219) found in fizzy drinks and
tomatoes & cinammonaldehyde
• Chocolate is commonly a cause
• Negative patch tests do not confirm
absence of allergy
Allergic Angioedema
Type 1 Hypersensitivity
• Speed of onset
• Swelling of lips, cheeks, tongue,
throat, itch within minutes
• Oedema of larynx, GIT
involvement (vomiting &
diarrhoea), urticaria,
vasodilatation & bronchospasm
• Adrenaline (followed by
hydrocortisone) is required for
bronchospasm & acute drop in BP
Management
• Tests: Skin prick tests & RAST
(Radioallergosorbent test)
• Control by:
– Avoidance of allergen
– Antihistamines in mild cases and
adrenaline/steroids in severe cases
Hereditary Angioedema
• Hereditary (more common) or acquired
(usually in middle age) angioedema
• Genetic defect of inhibitor of first
component of C1 (C1 esterase inhibitor)
• Repeated episodes of swelling of deep dermis,
subcutaneous tissues and mucous membranes
• Uncontrolled activation of classical
complement pathway & excess release of
vasoactive agents
Clinical manifestations
• Swelling poorly circumscribed, no-pitting and
not associated with urticaria or pruritis
• Precipitated by trauma (including dentistry)
anxiety, emotional upset, physical exertion
and sometimes spontaneously
• Develops over 12-18 hours with tingling and
tightness and usually over 48-72 hours
• Involves the extremities, face,
oropharynx and can compromise the
airway
• Treatment: stanazol (androgenic
steroid) or antifibrinolytics 1 week
before planned dentistry
• Emergency dental treatment may
require fresh frozen plasma
• Rarely responds to antihistamines or
steroids
Intraoral White Patches
Leukoplakia
• Clinical term for
persistent adherent
white patch (histology
unknown and no
attributable diagnosis)
• Prevalence of keratosis
is 3-4%
• 15% of leukoplakias
regress and 3-6%
undergo malignant
transformation over 10
years
Leukoplakia
• Homogenous
leukoplakias are
prevalent in the buccal
mucosa and have a low
pre-malignant potential
• Nodular or speckled
leukoplakias are more
serious
• Leukoplakias in the floor
of mouth or
undersurface of tongue
have a high risk of
malignant change
Risk factors
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Smoking
Alcohol
Diet
Immunosuppression
Presence of Candida
Local Causes
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Frictional keratosis
Smokers keratosis
Idiopathic keratosis
Papillomas
Carcinomas
Burns
Skin grafts
Systemic causes
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White sponge naevus
Geographic tongue
Lichen planus / lupus erythematosis
Candidosis / candidal leukoplakia
Hairy leukoplakia
Biopsy of lesions
• To confirm diagnosis
• Essential in non-healing ulcerated areas,
nodular areas, areas with red flecks, if
there are associated lymph nodes, in “at
risk” sites or at risk patients or if the
white patch is fixed and indurated
Mucosal Biopsy
• Should it be undertaken in general
dental practice?
• Yes it could be with:
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Being interested in minor OS procedures
Adequate training
Good links with a pathology service
Good resource to feed back results ( &
implications) to patient
• But no if any suspicion of oral cancer
Management of Leukoplakia
• Biopsy and other investigations
• Reduction of pre-disposing factors
• Definitive management e.g. excision,
laser or regular review with records and
re-biopsy
Papillomas
• Keratinised papillomas
appear as white nodules
• Commonly appear like
cauliflowers, frequently
on soft palate
• Diagnosis is obvious, but
biopsy is recommended
in case they are the
more rare venereal wart
intraorally
White Sponge Naevus
• Benign, hereditary
mucosal condition of
no consequence
• Very roughened
“shaggy Carpet”
appearance
• Some reports of
improvement with
antibiotics
Geographic Tongue
• Also known as benign migratory glossitis
& erythema migrans
• Red and white patches that change
position from time to time
• White patches are hyperkeratinised
areas and red the atrophic areas
• Often associated with fissures and can
be painful
• Treat symptomatically (? Use of zinc)
Oral Candidosis
• Clinical types that are white are
pseudomembranous, occasionally midline
glossitis and candidal leukoplakia
(premalignant)
• Management by addressing underlying
cause such as dietary deficiency, excess
sugar in diet, denture hygiene, use of
steroid inhalers or identification of
underlying cause
Oral Candidosis
• Management:
– address underlying
cause e.g. dietary
deficiency, excess
sugar in diet, denture
hygiene, use of
steroid inhalers or
identification of
underlying cause
Oral Hairy Leukoplakia
• EBV – has been
implicated in the
aetiology of hairy
leukoplakia
• OHL is useful
prognostic indicator
in HIV and can also
be seen in
immunosuppressed
transplant patients
Salivary Problems
• Saliva plays an essential role in
numerous functions of the mouth.
• Usual complaint is of dryness
• Can c/o too much – sialorrhoea
– Sore mouth
– Neurological – poor neuromuscular coordination etc.
– Medication
– Psychogenic
Sjögren’s syndrome
• A common autoimmune “rheumatic” disease.
• Women >40 yo
• Can occur on its own (primary) or as a complication of
other connective tissue diseases (secondary Sjögren’s
syndrome).
• The most common symptoms are extreme tiredness,
along with dry eyes (keratoconjunctivitis sicca) and
dry mouth (xerostomia).
• Up to 90% of individuals with Sjögren’s syndrome
have antibodies targeting the Ro and La autoantigens
• Can have other systemic symptoms – GIT, vulval etc.
Diagnostic criteria for S.S
(European/American & Japanese)
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Ocular symptoms
E.g. dry eyes and mouth for 3/12
Oral symptoms
Ocular signs
Histopathology
Salivary gland involvement
– Salivary flow
– Parotid sialography
– Salivary scintigraphy
• Autoantibodies
Requires a score to meet the
Diagnostic criteria – see
Ann Rheum Dis 2002;61:54-558
General complications
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Caries (often rampant)
Periodontal disease
Candidosis – should be checked !
Bacterial sialadenitis
ulceration
Non-Hodgkin’s B-cell lymphoma
• Occurs in ~1% of
patients with
Sjögren’s syndrome.
Usually, this is a slow
growing, low-grade
malignancy
• Pseudolymphoma in
~10%
Xerostomia
Clinical
History
Dry mouth
Primary
S.S
N
Secondary
S.S
Y
Connective Tissue
Disorder
Hx
Radiotherapy
N
Y
Reduced saliva flow
Medication
N
European & American
Guidelines for
Sjogren’s Syndrome
Radiation
Xerostomia
Y
Dry Eyes
Pharmacological
Xerostomia
Management
• Identify a likely cause!
• Referral
– Oral medicine – Sjogren’s syndrome?
• Rheumatology
• Ophthalmology
• Artificial saliva
• Salivary stimulating agents (gum,
pilocarpine)
• Meticulous oral hygiene management
• Regular dental care
Summary
• The mouth can be a useful site for early
diagnosis of systemic disease
• Painful conditions of the orofacial
region can be debilitating and lead to
nutritional and fluid intake problems
• Because of its constant use the mouth
is exposed to trauma, allergens and
carcinogens and must be checked
routinely.