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Oral ulceration (Part 2)

British Dental Journal volume 235, pages 940–945 (2023)Cite this article

Abstract

Ulceration is probably the oral mucosal condition seen most frequently by general dental practitioners. It is almost always painful and therefore sufferers are prompt to seek advice. An important exception to this generalisation is the occurrence of oral squamous cell carcinoma, which is often painless in its early stages. Definitive diagnosis, which requires mucosal biopsy, is mandatory for any persistent area of oral ulceration.

Key points

  • Oral ulceration may be due to viral or bacterial infection, immune-mediated disease or the presence of malignancy.

  • The presence of mouth cancer needs to be suspected for any ulcer persisting longer than three weeks and such a case should be referred urgently for specialist assessment.

  • The initial management of oral ulceration involves identifying the cause and provision of topical anti-inflammatory or antiseptic agents.

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References

  1. NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries. Aphthous ulcer. 2022. Available at https://cks.nice.org.uk/aphthous-ulcer (accessed October 2023).

  2. Chavan M, Jain H, Diwan N, Khedkar S, Shete A, Durkar S. Recurrent aphthous stomatitis: a review. J Oral Pathol Med 2012; 41: 577-583.

  3. Edgar N R, Saleh D, Miller R A. Recurrent aphthous stomatitis: a review. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol 2017; 10: 26-36.

  4. Goel R M, Ormond M, Nayee S, Hullah E A, Sanderson J D, Escudier M. A guide to oral ulceration for the medical physician. Br J Hosp Med (Lond) 2015; 76: 337-342.

  5. Talacko A A, Gordon A K, Aldred M J. The patient with recurrent oral ulceration. Aust Dent J 2010; 55: 14-22.

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Acknowledgements

The BDJ Editorial Team would like to thank the authors of this chapter for granting us permission to republish their chapter within our journal. This chapter was first originally published in Michael A. O. Lewis and Philip-John Lamey, Oral Medicine in Primary Dental Care, BDJ Clinician's Guides, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15432-5_2. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019. Further reading is included in the references list.1,2,3,4,5

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Dentistry, Cardiff University School of Dentistry, Cardiff, United Kingdom

    Michael A. O. Lewis

  2. Edinburgh Dental Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Dental Institute, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

    Philip-John Lamey

Authors
  1. Michael A. O. Lewis
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  2. Philip-John Lamey
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Correspondence to Michael A. O. Lewis.

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Cite this article

A. O. Lewis, M., Lamey, PJ. Oral ulceration (Part 2). Br Dent J 235, 940–945 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-023-6549-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-023-6549-3

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