Primary tuberculosis: an unusual finding in the oral cavity

The unusual involvement of the oral cavity in tuberculosis and the non-specific nature of its presentations mean that diagnosis of tuberculosis is often delayed and is an unexpected finding. The aim of this paper is to present a case of primary tuberculosis and discuss the implications of the manifestations and diagnosis of oral tuberculosis. This paper presents an unusual case of a painless, papillary, erythematous lesion in the anterior region of a maxillary edentulous ridge. When the patient concerned was first seen by the author, the lesion had been present for six months. There was cervical lymphadenopathy and it was diagnosed initially as a malignant lesion. Eventually, after biopsy and ultrasound examination, the diagnosis of primary oral tuberculosis was reached. The patient was managed solely by anti-tubercular drug therapy.