Prevention and Management of Oral Mucosal Lesions

 Education is a primary objective for oral health care providers. When it is known that a patient uses alcohol or tobacco, education about ceasing the use of these products should be provided.

Patients who have already ceased use of alcohol or tobacco products should be educated about closely watching for oral lesion development.
      People who are at risk of a sexually transmitted infection that could affect the oral cavity should be advised about risk reduction techniques and testing for sexually transmitted infections.
    Dental hygienists, dentists, and other oral health care providers should provide general education to all patients about looking for unusual changes in the mouth.
    Patients should be told to call for an appointment for any lesion, sore, lump, bump, or painful spot in the oral mucosa or soft tissue that persists for more than two weeks.
  The management of oral mucosal lesions depends on the underlying cause of the lesions. Oral mucosal lesions associated with tobacco or alcohol use might resolve if the patient ceases the use of the products.

Lesions caused by other irritations such as orthodontic wires, aspirin sucking, or overuse of acidic foods may also heal after the irritation is removed.
Treatment of Minor Oral Lesions
Minor oral lesions such as canker sores may be handled by the patient at home using over-the-counter numbing medications or analgesics. Oral lesions caused by herpes may require the use of prescription antiviral medications (Weinberg 2017).

Fungal infections also require prescription medications. In people who have other risk factors for HIV or AIDS, testing may be recommended, as thrush or oral candidiasis is an AIDS-defining condition.
Management in patients with HIV/AIDS
In patients with HIV or AIDS, management of oral mucosal lesions requires the control of viral replication. In the absence of retroviral therapies, medications such as topical antivirals or systemic drugs such as famciclovir, acyclovir, and valaciclovir are needed, as shown in a study conducted by Baccaglini (2007).

Patients must be taught to adhere to their medication schedules in order to manage the lesions and reduce their risk of getting new lesions.
Oral Lesions Caused By Hereditary
Oral lesions caused by hereditary and autoimmune disorders may require suppression of the immune system through oral or intramuscular steroids. Oral lozenges and analgesics may facilitate the healing and reduce the pain of the lesions.
Conclusion
When an oral mucosal lesion is biopsied and found to be cancerous, surgical removal of the lesion and nearby lymph nodes is indicated. Patients may be referred to an oncologist who specializes in cancers of the oral cavity.

Treatment options may depend on the type, stage, and location of the cancerous lesion. Radiation, chemotherapy, or both treatments may be offered.
s
      Bacteria cause dental caries first by demineralizing the outer tooth enamel and invading the soft underlying dentin (Lopez-Piriz, Aguilar, & Gimenez, 2007).
    Chipped or ground-down surfaces of teeth can provide easy access to this soft tissue. Deep pulpal tissue then undergoes necrosis and bacteria can continue degrading structures until they exit through the apical foramen or foramina.
    Additionally, gingival recession can provide a route of access to pulpal tissues, including the roots of adjacent teeth. Infections that reach the apical regions of a tooth are capable of spreading to the surrounding tissues and can result in systemic infections.
    Therefore, it is important to treat pulpal infections expediently in order to prevent further damage to the surrounding tissue.
  Bacterial Causes
  Dental caries can be caused by many bacterial species, with a higher proportion of anaerobic bacteria associated with the condition.  

The most common of these anaerobic bacteria are Prevotella intermedia, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Porphyromonas endodontalis, Porphyromonas gingivailis, and Selenomonas sputigena, whereas the most common aerobic bacteria viridans streptococci and Streptococcus anginosus.
  Bacterial Causes
  Dental caries can be caused by many bacterial species, with a higher proportion of anaerobic bacteria associated with the condition.

The most common of these anaerobic bacteria are Prevotella intermedia, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Porphyromonas endodontalis, Porphyromonas gingivailis, and Selenomonas sputigena, whereas the most common aerobic bacteria viridans streptococci and Streptococcus anginosus. (Lopez-Piriz et al., 2007; Robertson & Smith, 2009).

As evidenced by the varying hypotheses for what kinds of bacterial populations cause dental caries, it is not trivial to identify which bacterial species are responsible. Factors including immunocompetency of the host and bacterial populations in specific microdomains further complicate this analysis (Ji & Choi, 2013).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Genetic Susceptibility

  Historically, the contribution of genetic factors to an individual’s predisposition for the development of oral infections has been largely unstudied.    In the age of genetic medicine, it is becoming apparent that genetic variability can account for significant changes in innate and adaptive immune responses, with some clear implications for the development of maxillofacial infections (Munz et al., 2017).    One such study identified genetic variation in the genes DEFB1 and LTF that were linked with susceptibility to chronic periodontitis (Zupin et al., 2017). These genes encode the proteins beta-defensins 1 and lactoferrin, both of which contribute to the oral innate immune system.
Read more

Viral infections

 The oral cavity can be targeted by a variety of viral pathogens (Tyring, 2006). While these viral infections are variable in severity, they are more virulent in individuals with compromised immune systems (Regezi, 2016). Viruses are biologically different than bacteria or fungi in that viruses are not capable of replication and proliferation by themselves. A virus particle, or virion, consists of a protective protein coat called a capsid that contains the viral genome.   The viral genome is encoded with either deoxyribonucleic acids (DNA) or ribonucleic acids (RNA), depending on the viral species. The capsid includes proteins that target specific cell types in specific species as well as mechanisms for entering into the target cell types. The host cell’s own protein machinery then replicates the virus’s genetic material and produces the viral proteins required for capsid formation encoded by the virus’s genome. This replicates the virus, allowing more copies to be released to...
Read more

Irreversible Pulpitis- Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment

  Definition Irreversible pulpitis is a persistent inflammatory condition of the pulp, symptomatic or asymptomatic in nature with the pulp becoming incapable of healing. Types There are two types of Irreversible Pulpitis 1) Asymptomatic Irreversible Pulpitis 2) Symptomatic Irreversible Pulpitis Causes/Etiology CAUSES/ETIOLOGY  Most common is Dental Caries Chemical, Mechanical and Thermal injuries to pulp Untreated reversible pulpitis Symptoms SYMPTOMS Pain is caused by sudden change in temperature specially cold, sweet or acidic food items and pressure from food entrapped in tooth cavity Pain remains even after the removal of stimulus. Pain can be spontaneous which can be Sharp, Piercing, Intermittent or Continuous in nature Pain exacerbated by lying down or on bending due to increase in intr...
Read more
Flipkart.com
The more the merrier 🎈
Combos
Formal Shirts Sarees
Kids' Apparel Fragrance
Skin Care Hair Care
Cookware Sets Kitchen Containers
Curtains Bath Towels
Gourmet Food Art Accessories
We hope you enjoy emails from Flipkart. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here.