The oral cavity is exposed to the external environment and from a very young age is colonized by infectious agents. Under certain circumstances including poor oral hygiene, dry mouth, trauma, and the use of antibiotics, oral infections can occur. They can result in damage to the oral cavity including teeth and their support structures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAcute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is a hematologic disorder that is characterized by an abnormal proliferation of immature myeloid cells. Granulocytic sarcomas are clusters of leukemic myeloid cells that may develop as a result of AML. Oral manifestations of AML are common and often involve enlargements of the gingiva and/or mucosal tissue from direct leukemia cell infiltration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod
October 2003
Epithelioid blue nevus (EBN) is an extremely rare histologic variant of blue nevus that has only recently been identified. Unlike other variants of blue nevus, which primarily are composed of pigmented, spindle-shaped melanocytes, EBN is characterized by large, well-defined, heavily-pigmented polygonal or epithelioid-shaped melanocytes intermixed with less densely pigmented epithelioid- and fusiform-shaped melanocytes. Furthermore, in contrast to other benign melanocytic proliferations, the lesional cells in EBN exhibit little or no maturation as they extend deeper into the underlying tissue.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod
February 2003
Mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) is a subepithelial blistering disease predominantly involving the mucosal surfaces. Distinct subgroups of MMP have recently been identified by using advanced immunopathologic and immunochemical techniques and are described in the literature on the basis of their clinical features and antigenic specificities. Antiepiligrin MMP has been described as an immunochemically distinct entity.
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