Links between oral and gastrointestinal health

To review the links between oral and gastrointestinal health and discuss their implications in clinical management.

There are many instances in which changes that occur within the oral cavity reflect systemic disease elsewhere in the body. Oral manifestations may be the first sign of gastrointestinal disease. This is definitely the case in the inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. However, although the oral manifestations are relatively well recognized, the links between pathobiology at different sites do not appear to be fully investigated in the literature. This is not the case with alimentary tract mucositis, a side effect of cancer treatment. Increasing interest in the pathobiology of mucositis and the links between changes that occur at different sites of the alimentary has changed the way that this common side effect of cancer treatment has been managed.

Changes occurring in the oral cavity associated with systemic diseases, including gastrointestinal disease, have been long recognized. Further study into the pathobiology of oral links with inflammatory bowel disease is also recommended so that these diseases are better understood. Importantly, however, the oral manifestations of systemic disease must be highlighted so that, if they are the first manifestations that can be clinically recognized, patients can have appropriate investigations and be managed in a timely fashion. A multidisciplinary management of patients is crucial so that they receive appropriate and comprehensive healthcare.