Looking in the mouth for Crohn's disease

• Published in: Inflammatory bowel diseases Vol. 16; no. 2; pp. 332 - 337
• Main Authors: Rowland, Marion, Fleming, Paddy, Bourke, Billy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01-02-2010
• Subjects: Adult; Child; Crohn Disease - complications; Crohn Disease - diagnosis; Crohn Disease - pathology; Crohn's disease; diagnosis; Disease Progression; Humans; Mouth Diseases - diagnosis; Mouth Diseases - etiology; Mouth Diseases - pathology; Mouth Diseases - therapy; oral; Oral Ulcer - diagnosis; Oral Ulcer - etiology; Oral Ulcer - pathology; Oral Ulcer - therapy; orofacial granulomatosis; Remission, Spontaneous; treatment
• ISSN: 1078-0998; 1536-4844
• DOI: 10.1002/ibd.20983

It is widely acknowledged among gastroenterologists that the oral cavity may be involved in Crohn's disease (CD). However, the specific manifestations are poorly appreciated. Although oral aphthous ulceration is probably not diagnostically useful in patients with suspected CD, disease‐specific manifestations do occur and are particularly common in children presenting with CD. These manifestations can be subtle, often are subclinical, yet commonly harbor diagnostically useful material (granulomas). Orofacial granulomatosis (OFG) is conventionally used to describe patients with overt oral disease without obvious involvement of the gastrointestinal tract. However, many patients with OFG have subclinical intestinal CD or will progress to develop overt intestinal CD with time. The management of severe oral disease is challenging and lacks a clear evidence base. Inflamm Bowel Dis 2009