Oral manifestations of Langerhans cell histiocytosis: A case series

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is an unusual proliferative disorder of bone marrow-derived histiocytes (Langerhans cells) that can produce focal or systemic manifestations. Oral manifestations of LCH can present as single or multiple lesions and can be a challenge in clinical practice. The aim of this paper is to present the clinicopathological features of a series of nine patients with oral involvement.

The patient's age ranged from 2 to 63 years being five males and four females. The most common oral site involvement was the hard-palate mucosa. Ulceration was the main clinical feature. Only two patients showed clearly jawbone involvement. In eight out of nine patients, the diagnosis of LCH was established because of the oral manifestations.

The recognition of the clinical features of LCH oral manifestation is important to avoid misdiagnosis and to the establishment of the correct treatment. Thus, dentists can play a vital role in the diagnosis of LCH since oral lesions may be the earliest manifestation and sometimes the only sign of the disease. Furthermore, oral lesions may be the early signs of disease reactivation or a multisystem disease indication.