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Oral ulcers in children- a clinical narrative overview
Corinne Légeret1,2, Raoul Furlano3,4
1University Children's Hospital of Basel, Spitalstrasse 33, 4056, Basel, Switzerland. Corinne.Legeret@bluewin.ch.
Insights
Diagnosing oral ulcers in children can be difficult due to their unspecific nature. This study provides a guide to aid clinicians in identifying the cause and treatment of oral lesions in pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Medicine
- Dermatology
- Otolaryngology
Background:
- Oral ulcers affect 9% of children, presenting a diagnostic challenge due to non-specific symptoms.
- Differential diagnoses for oral lesions are extensive, including infections, nutritional issues, inflammatory conditions, and chronic diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a comprehensive overview of diseases associated with oral ulcers in children.
- To support clinicians in diagnosing oral lesions by categorizing potential causes.
- To present treatment options for various oral ulcer etiologies.
Main Methods:
- A systematic literature search was conducted.
- A narrative literature review was performed, identifying 48 potential diseases linked to oral ulcers.
- A tabular overview was created based on symptom duration and lesion size.
Main Results:
- The study identified a wide spectrum of diseases causing oral ulcers in children.
- A diagnostic aid was developed, correlating symptoms and lesion characteristics with potential diseases.
- Treatment strategies for diverse oral ulcer causes were compiled.
Conclusions:
- Accurate diagnosis of pediatric oral ulcers requires consideration of numerous underlying conditions.
- The developed tabular overview serves as a valuable tool for differential diagnosis.
- Effective management of oral ulcers depends on identifying and treating the specific underlying cause.
Abstract:
The prevalence of oral ulcers in children is reported to be 9%, however diagnosis of oral lesions can be challenging, being an unspecific symptom of several diseases. Differential diagnosis can range from classic infectious disease of childhood (e.g. herpangina, hand-foot-and-mouth-disease) over nutritional deficiencies, gastrointestinal disorders, inflammations (e.g. pemphigus vulgaris, lichen planus, mucous membrane pemphigoid) to side effects of medications (Stevens-Johnson Syndrome) or chronic dieseases (e.g. sarcoidosis, systemic Lupus erythematodes, familial Mediterrenean fever). Therefore, children with oral ulcers are treated by many different specialists such as dentists, family doctors, paediatricians, rheumatologists, haematologists, gastroenterologists and otorhinolaryngologists.A systematic literature search and a narrative literature review about the potential 48 diseases connected to oral ulcers were performed. According to the duration of symptoms and size of the lesions, a tabular overview was created to support the clinician in making a correct diagnosis, additionally different treatment options are presented.
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