Oral sarcoidosis: review of the literature

Patients with symptoms consistent with sarcoidosis who are seen by a dentist are not common. Generally, the disease is documented in a patient before the expression of oral symptoms. The most common oral or para-oral symptom appears to be an asymptomatic swelling--usually of the parotid glands or cervical nodes. Often these lesions are first brought to the attention of our medical colleagues. However, in four instances reported in the literature, systemic sarcoidosis was discovered because of the initial oral symptoms. There are often changes in the minor salivary glands under clinically normal-appearing mucosa in patients with systemic sarcoidosis. We have reviewed the concepts of etiology, criteria for diagnosis, and rationale of treatment, along with a review of the dental literature of sarcoidosis. An illustrative case report of a sarcoid lesion on the buccal mucosa is presented.