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Gingival Lesions Diagnosed as Pemphigus Vulgaris in an Adolescent. Case Report
Author(s) -
Navarro Cláudia M.,
Sposto Maria R.,
Onofre Mirian A.,
Scully Crispian
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of periodontology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.036
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1943-3670
pISSN - 0022-3492
DOI - 10.1902/jop.1999.70.7.808
Subject(s) - pemphigus vulgaris , medicine , dermatology , gingivitis , oral mucosa , pemphigus , desquamation , systemic disease , biopsy , pathology , disease , dentistry
Desquamative gingivitis (DG) is a fairly common disorder in which the gingivae show chronic desquamation. Originally considered to be related to hormonal changes at menopause, since many of the patients are middle‐aged women, DG is now recognized to be mainly a manifestation of a number of disorders ranging from vesiculobullous diseases to adverse reactions to a variety of chemicals or allergens. Desquamative gingivitis can be an important early clinical manifestation of serious systemic diseases such as pemphigus vulgaris. The authors present a case that illustrates the importance of a specific diagnosis in patients with desquamative gingival lesions previously treated for 6 months as classical gingivitis. Gingival biopsy showed histologic patterns typical of pemphigus vulgaris. The patient was treated with systemic and topical corticosteroids in association with miconazole. The patient is now under control with low‐dose systemic corticosteroids. Proper recognition of lesions in the oral mucosa leads, in several situations, to an early diagnosis of a systemic disease. J Periodontol 1999; 70:808‐812.