ORAL MUCOSAL LESIONS, IMMUNOLOGIC DISEASES

Course overview

MUCOSAL LESIONS OF THE ORAL CAVITY ARE COMMON AND ENCOMPASS A BROAD RANGE OF CONDITIONS. MANY OF THESE DISEASE PROCESSES ARE IMMUNE-MEDIATED OR REPRESENT AN ORAL MANIFESTATION OF A SYSTEMIC IMMUNOLOGIC DISEASE. ORAL MUCOSAL LESIONS RELATED TO IMMUNE DYSFUNCTION OR PRESUMED AUTOIMMUNE ETIOLOGIES MAY BE SYMPTOMATIC, SERIOUSLY AFFECTING QUALITY OF LIFE, AND SERVE AS AN ASSOCIATED COMORBIDITY IN HIGH-RISK PATIENT POPULATIONS. THE CLINICAL PRESENTATIONS OF THESE LESIONS ARE OFTEN NONSPECIFIC, SUBTLE, AND EVER-CHANGING IN APPEARANCE; TYPICALLY, THEY REQUIRE DETAILED EVALUATION OF PATIENT HISTORIES, HISTOPATHOLOGIC STUDIES, AND MULTIDISCIPLINARY CONSULTATION FOR DEFINITIVE DIAGNOSIS. MANAGEMENT VARIES FROM SIMPLE OBSERVATION TO COMPLEX SYSTEMIC THERAPIES. PATIENTS MAY FIND TREATMENTS TO PROVIDE UNSATISFACTORY OR INCONSISTENT RESULTS BUT MAY ALSO BE CONTENT WITH SIMPLE, NONINVASIVE THERAPIES.THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE ETIOLOGY, EVALUATION, IDENTIFICATION, AND MANAGEMENT OF THE COMMONLY DISCUSSED IMMUNE-MEDIATED MUCOSAL LESIONS OF THE ORAL CAVITY. THE ROLE OF THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY HEALTHCARE TEAM INVOLVED IN TREATING PATIENTS WITH THESE CONDITIONS IS DISCUSSED.