BACKGROUND: Involvement of the oral mucosa can occur in lepromatous leprosy; however, lesions in the oral mucosa of paucibacillary patients have not been previously observed.
OBJECTIVE: 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.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: 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.
RESULTS: Eight nonspecific chronic inflammatory reactions and 1 granulomatous inflammatory process without acid-fast bacilli were detected.
CONCLUSIONS: 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.
BT - Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology, oral radiology, and endodontics C1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17223587?dopt=Abstract DA - 2007 May DO - 10.1016/j.tripleo.2006.10.002 IS - 5 J2 - Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod LA - eng N2 -BACKGROUND: Involvement of the oral mucosa can occur in lepromatous leprosy; however, lesions in the oral mucosa of paucibacillary patients have not been previously observed.
OBJECTIVE: 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.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: 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.
RESULTS: Eight nonspecific chronic inflammatory reactions and 1 granulomatous inflammatory process without acid-fast bacilli were detected.
CONCLUSIONS: 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.
PY - 2007 SP - e48 EP - 52 T2 - Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology, oral radiology, and endodontics TI - The oral mucosa in paucibacillary leprosy: a clinical and histopathological study. VL - 103 SN - 1528-395X ER -