The mouth in systemic disease

Diabetes, HIV, blood disorders, nutritional deficiencies, gut and autoimmune disease, pregnancy, cancer treatment, endocarditis and childhood infections as seen in the mouth.

10 pages

• Blood disorders in the mouth: leukaemia, anaemia and bleedingGums that bleed for no reason, petechiae on the palate or a pale sore tongue can point to…
• Childhood infections seen in the mouthKoplik spots in measles, blisters in hand, foot and mouth disease, a strawberry tongue in…
• Dental procedures and infective endocarditisMouth bacteria can infect heart valves
• Diabetes and the mouthDiabetes worsens gum disease and gum disease makes diabetes harder to control
• Gut and autoimmune disease in the mouthCrohn and coeliac disease, reflux, bulimia, Sjögren disease, lupus and Behçet disease all leave…
• HIV and the mouthOral lesions can be the first sign of HIV and a marker of falling immunity
• Nutritional deficiencies in the mouthVitamin C deficiency makes gums swell and bleed
• Pregnancy and oral healthPregnancy inflames the gums and can cause a bleeding lump
• The mouth as a mirror: oral signs of systemic diseaseMany general diseases show first in the mouth: bleeding gums in leukaemia, thrush in HIV, a…
• The mouth during cancer treatment: mucositis, dry mouth and osteonecrosisChemotherapy and head and neck radiotherapy damage the mouth

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← Dentistry

Educational content; it does not replace assessment by a dentist or doctor and is not a clinical instruction. For facial or neck swelling with difficulty swallowing or breathing, a knocked-out tooth or bleeding that will not stop, go to an emergency department at once.

Representative model, for educational purposes only.