Oral Granulomatous Disease

Granulomatous diseases are chronic inflammatory disorders whose pathogenesis is triggered by an array of infectious and noninfectious agents, and may be localized or a manifestation of systemic, disseminated disease. As in the skin, oral manifestations of granulomatous inflammation are often nonspecific in their clinical appearance. Thus, in the absence of overt foreign material or a recognizable infectious agent, identifying the underlying cause of the inflammation can be challenging. This article highlights various conditions known to induce granulomatous inflammation within the oral soft tissues.