@article{7260,
  keywords = {Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Biopsy, Female, Humans, leprosy, Male, Middle Aged, Mouth Diseases, Mouth Mucosa, Mycobacterium leprae},
  author = {Abreu MAMM and Avelar Alchorne MM and Michalany NS and Maurice Weckx LL and Pimentel DRN and Watashi Hirata CH},
  title = {The oral mucosa in paucibacillary leprosy: a clinical and histopathological study.},
  abstract = {<p><b>BACKGROUND: </b>Involvement of the oral mucosa can occur in lepromatous leprosy; however, lesions in the oral mucosa of paucibacillary patients have not been previously observed.</p><p><b>OBJECTIVE: </b>The objective of this study is to determine whether clinical and subclinical lesions exist in oral mucosa in nontreated paucibacillary leprosy patients, using clinical and histopathological examination.</p><p><b>MATERIALS AND METHODS: </b>A clinical and histopathological study involving 30 untreated paucibacillary leprosy patients was conducted. All patients underwent biopsies of the buccal mucosa, soft palate, and tongue. When acid-fast bacilli in association with inflammatory infiltrate, granulomatous or not, were encountered, it was considered "specific" involvement of the oral mucosa; and "nonspecific" involvement when the bacilli were not encountered.</p><p><b>RESULTS: </b>Eight nonspecific chronic inflammatory reactions and 1 granulomatous inflammatory process without acid-fast bacilli were detected.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS: </b>Paucibacillary leprosy patients do not exhibit specific, clinical or subclinical, involvement in the oral mucosa; nonspecific alterations occur even in the absence of signs and symptoms.</p>},
  year = {2007},
  journal = {Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology, oral radiology, and endodontics},
  volume = {103},
  pages = {e48-52},
  month = {2007 May},
  issn = {1528-395X},
  doi = {10.1016/j.tripleo.2006.10.002},
  language = {eng},
}