Dermatologigical and systemic illnesses
Definition
A wide range of dermatological, systemic or autoimmune illnesses manifest lesions and changes in and around the oral cavity. A dentist should be able to recognize such changes because an early diagnosis is often of great importance. Blisters are among the most common forms of intraoral lesions. Beneath inflammatory, physical or toxic origins there are also congenital or acquired forms. Characteristically, the latter two forms distinguish themselves from the others by displaying multiple, chronic lesions which persist for prolonged periods. Bullous autoimmune illnesses appear due to autoantibodies against coherency proteins. Besides, metabolic disorders can have the same manifestation and also lead to a structural weakness of both the skin and mucosa. Avitaminosis and deficiency diseases may also affect the oral mucosa. More often seen in Third World countries and therefore rarely in Europe, avitaminosen and deficiency diseases are not further discussed in this chapter.
Attention! The following titles represent just a "small" selection of dermatological and systemic illnesses. The aim of this chapter is not to list all possible diseases which can have manifestations in the oral cavity, but rather to convey the notion that the origin of an oral lesion does not always need to originate in the oral cavity.
