An oral lesion as the primary clinical manifestation of sarcoidosis

• Published in: Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England Vol. 99; no. 5; pp. e135 - e136
• Main Authors: Gill, I, Siddiqi, J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BMJ Publishing Group LTD 01-05-2017; Royal College of Surgeons
• Subjects: Adult; Female; Histopathology; Humans; Lung Neoplasms - complications; Lung Neoplasms - diagnosis; Lung Neoplasms - physiopathology; Lungs; Lymphatic system; Online Case Report; Palatal Neoplasms - complications; Palatal Neoplasms - diagnosis; Palatal Neoplasms - physiopathology; Patients; Radiography, Panoramic; Radiography, Thoracic; Sarcoidosis; Sarcoidosis - complications; Sarcoidosis - diagnosis; Sarcoidosis - physiopathology; Tuberculosis; United Kingdom > UK; Sarcoidosis; Palate
• ISSN: 0035-8843; 1478-7083
• DOI: 10.1308/rcsann.2017.0050

An oral lesion as the first clinical presentation of sarcoidosis is extremely rare. We present the case of a 39-year-old woman who was referred to the oral and maxillofacial surgery department with a persistent asymptomatic nodular lesion in the hard palate. This was located adjacent to a grossly carious upper first molar and a provisional diagnosis of chronic periapical granuloma was made. An incisional biopsy of the lesion was carried out, which unexpectedly revealed the presence of a non-caseating granulomatous inflammatory reaction. A referral was sent to the respiratory medicine team and a diagnosis was later confirmed of stage II sarcoidosis. This case report highlights the need for clinicians to be aware of all possible causes of oral lesions, including rare manifestations of underlying systemic disease.