Psychological Stress and Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is the most common type of ulcerative disease of the oral mucosa. Despite its worldwide occurrence and the extensive amount of research that has been devoted to the subject, the etiology of RAS remains unclear. Nevertheless, several hereditary, nutritional, infectious and psychological factors have been associated with RAS. The aim of this case-control study was to assess the influence of psychological stress on the manifestation of RAS. METHOD: Fifty patients were enrolled in the trial. Twenty-five RAS patients constituted the study group and another 25 non-RAS patients who were similarly matched for sex, age and socioeconomic status constituted the control group. Each patient was evaluated in terms of the four domains of stress (emotional, physical, social and cognitive) using an internationally validated questionnaire, which was comprised of 59 items and measured the frequency and intensity of stress symptoms. The RAS group was interviewed during an active RAS episode. Completed questionnaires were submitted to proper analytical software and interpreted by an expert psychologist. RESULTS: There was a higher level of psychological stress among RAS group patients when compared to the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Psychological stress may play a role in the manifestation of RAS; it may serve as a trigger or a modifying factor rather than being a cause of the disease

Idiopathic sialadenosis involving parotid and submandibular glands. A case report.

AbstractThis article reports a case in which a patient, an adult black male, was diagnosed as having sialadenosis of an idiopathic type, since clinical, computed tomography and laboratory examinations did not disclose any other abnormalities that could be associated with the glandular swelling.  As this condition is quite harmless, requiring no intervention, unless for aesthetic reason, the patient was dismissed, being monitored sporadically.  But after 8 months since the first consultation, the patient was diagnosed as having an advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and eventually died of this disease. This report, therefore, raises the question whether there was any relation with the sialadenosis and the esophageal carcinoma. This question is very speculative, but it stands as a notice for clinicians in future cases of idiopathic sialadenosis to evaluate the patient for an underlying malignant disease.

Fine needle aspiration biopsy in the oral cavity and head and neck region

The objective of the current study was to evaluate the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of submucous nodules from the oral cavity and head and neck region as an auxiliary diagnostic tool. Fifty patients with nodule lesions in the oral cavity and the head and neck region were selected. All of them were submitted to FNAB and to either incisional or excisional biopsy. The diagnoses from the FNABs were compared with the biopsy diagnosis as the gold standard. All the cases of FNAB were analyzed by a single oral pathologist prior to the biopsy diagnosis. The results showed that the sensitivity of FNAB was 75%, its specificity was 96% and its accuracy was 58.8%. The false positive and false negative rates were 6.7% and 13.3%, respectively. The positive predictive value was 86% and the negative predictive value was 93%. The inconclusive rate was 16/50. FNAB displayed a high success rate for identifying both malignant and benign lesions, but a low accuracy for making a final diagnosis

Systemic treatment in severe cases of recurrent aphthous stomatitis: an open trial

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the systemic drugs thalidomide, dapsone, colchicine, and pentoxifylline in the treatment of severe manifestations of RAS. METHODS: An open, 4-year clinical trial was carried out for 21 consecutive patients with severe RAS. Initially, patients were given a 2-week course of prednisone to bring them to a baseline status. Simultaneously, one of the four test drugs was assigned to each patient to be taken for a period of 6 months. During the course of the trial, patients were switched to one of the other three drugs whenever side effects or a lack of satisfactory results occurred, and the 6-month limit of the treatment was then reset. RESULTS: The most efficient and best-tolerated drug was thalidomide, which was administered to a total of eight patients and resulted in complete remission in seven (87.5%). Dapsone was prescribed for a total of nine patients, of whom eight (89%) showed improvement in their symptoms, while five showed complete remission. Colchicine was administered to a total of ten patients, with benefits observed in nine (90%), of whom four showed complete remission. Pentoxyfilline was administered to a total of five patients, with benefits observed in three (60%), of whom one patient showed complete remission. CONCLUSION: The therapeutic methods used in this trial provided significant symptom relief. Patients experienced relapses of the lesions; however, this occurred after withdrawal of their medication during the follow-up period

Rosai-Dorfman disease affecting the maxilla

Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD), formerly called sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy, is a non-neoplastic proliferative histiocytic disorder with behavior ranging from highly aggressive to spontaneous remission. Although the lymph nodes are more commonly involved, any organ can be affected. This study aimed to describe the features and the follow-up of a case of extranodal RDD. Our patient was a 39-year-old woman who was referred with an 11-month history of pain in the right maxilla. On clinical examination, some upper right teeth presented full mobility with normal appearance of the surrounding gingiva. Radiographic exams showed an extensive bone reabsorption and maxillary sinus filled with homogeneous tissue, which sometimes showed polypoid formation. An incisional biopsy demonstrated a diffuse inflammatory infiltrate rich in foamy histiocytes displaying lymphocytes emperipolesis. Immunohistochemistry showed positivity for CD68 and S-100, and negativity for CD3, CD20, and CD30. Such features were consistent with the RDD diagnosis. The patient was referred to a hematologist and corticotherapy was administrated for 6 months. RDD is an uncommon disease that rarely affects the maxilla. In the present case, the treatment was conservative, and the patient is currently asymptomatic after 5 years of follow-u

DIAGNÓSTICO E MANEJO ODONTOLÓGICO DA SÍNDROME DE MELKERSSON-ROSENTHAL

A síndrome de Melkersson-Rosenthal (SMR) é uma manifestação rara e definida como desordem neuromucocutânea de etiologia desconhecida. Essa patologia é caracterizada por uma tríade de sinais e sintomas representados por edema orofacial recorrente, língua fissurada (língua plicata) e paralisia facial recorrente. Porém, a ocorrência simultânea dessas três características é incomum. Nesse trabalho será descrito o caso de uma paciente do gênero feminino, 42 anos, melanoderma que queixou-se de extenso edema em região perioral. Foi investigada, a princípio, a possibilidade de alergias, sarcoidose, tuberculose, trauma e reação de corpo estranho. Após minucioso processo diagnóstico, associado com a presença dos demais componentes da tríade, o diagnóstico final foi de SMR. O paciente foi submetido à corticoterapia intra-lesional com betametasona, que levou à notável melhora do quadro clínico. O paciente continua em acompanhamento clínico periódico. Tendo em vista que a SMR é uma condição de diagnóstico peculiar e prognóstico altamente variável, o objetivo desse relato é auxiliar os profissionais da área de saúde a realizar o diagnóstico e manejo adequados dos pacientes portadores dessa síndrome

Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome: a classical case report

ABSTRACT The Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome constitutes a rare manifestation characterized by a triad of signs and symptoms: recurrent orofacial edema, fissured tongue, and recurrent facial paralysis. The difficulty in diagnosing Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome is that orofacial edema is common to various diseases besides the lack of awareness of the syndrome by health professionals and the frequent metachronous manifestation of its symptomatology. The aim of this report is to present a classical case of Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome and its clinical and therapeutic approach. A patient who sought for assistance at the Stomatology Clinic presented a synchronous manifestation of the triad: a left lip and cheek nonpitting edema accompanied by facial paralysis on the same side and fissured tongue. Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome was diagnosed due to the presence of the triad of signs and symptoms after initially ruling out Crohn’s disease, Sarcoidosis, and tuberculosis due to a lack of intestinal or respiratory complaints and absence of other clinical evidence. The treatment administered was steroids, the most common treatment with a satisfied prognosis we found in the literature for Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome patients. We recommend its implementation intralesional injections of betamethasone dipropionate as after four infiltrations the edema subsided by 80% with no further relapses within one-year follow-up

Rosai-Dorfman disease affecting the maxilla

Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD), formerly called sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy, is a non-neoplastic proliferative histiocytic disorder with behavior ranging from highly aggressive to spontaneous remission. Although the lymph nodes are more commonly involved, any organ can be affected. This study aimed to describe the features and the follow-up of a case of extranodal RDD. Our patient was a 39-year-old woman who was referred with an 11-month history of pain in the right maxilla. On clinical examination, some upper right teeth presented full mobility with normal appearance of the surrounding gingiva. Radiographic exams showed an extensive bone reabsorption and maxillary sinus filled with homogeneous tissue, which sometimes showed polypoid formation. An incisional biopsy demonstrated a diffuse inflammatory infiltrate rich in foamy histiocytes displaying lymphocytes emperipolesis. Immunohistochemistry showed positivity for CD68 and S-100, and negativity for CD3, CD20, and CD30. Such features were consistent with the RDD diagnosis. The patient was referred to a hematologist and corticotherapy was administrated for 6 months. RDD is an uncommon disease that rarely affects the maxilla. In the present case, the treatment was conservative, and the patient is currently asymptomatic after 5 years of follow-u

Clinical characteristics and therapeutic response in patients with Burning Mouth Syndrome: accompanying 2 years

Abstract Introduction Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS) is a condition characterized by burning symptom of the oral mucosa in the absence of clinical signs. Its etiology is still unknown and, and to date there is no effective treatment. Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate patients with BMS profile and the therapies results in a retrospective study. Material and method Clinical and therapeutic data were collected from records of patients with BMS diagnosed between January 2013 to April 2015 at the Clinic of Stomatology Clinic, Faculdade de Odontologia of Universidade de São Paulo, according to the criteria established by the International Headache Society in 2013. The therapies used for BMS control were also evaluated. Result Twelve patients were diagnosed with BMS at this period. All of them were women with a mean age of 61.18 years and the apex of the tongue was the most common affected site and the duration of the burning sensation ranged from 6 months to 25 years. Many therapies were prescribed for BMS control, such as topical capsaicin, topical clonazepan, low level laser therapy and homeopathy. Among the established therapies, capsaicin has immediate effect in reducing symptoms. Conclusion The present study showed that the challenges towards an effective treatment for BMS are varied and are mainly related to the lack knowing of the pathogenesis of this disease. The demographic profile of patients studied here was similar to that described in the available literature, however, the variables represented by secondary symptoms (medical history, anxiety and depression levels) may be modifying factors of therapeutic response and the pathogenesis of the disease itself