Oral manifestations of gastrointestinal disorders

Backgroud: A considerable number of gastrointestinal disorders (GIDs) of varied nature (inflammatory, infectious, genetic and other etiology) may produce alterations in the hard and soft oral tissues. Among these are Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, celiac and gastroesophageal reflux disease. Material and Methods: Article search was done using the National library of medicine (PubMed) database using different search terms and analyzed according to their importance. Results: A large variety of GIDs can give rise to oral lesions, including: RAS like ulceration, mucosal tags, cobblestoning, mucogingivitis, labial and facial swelling, pyostomatitis vegetans, disgeusia and dental abnormalities, among others. Although in most cases the gastrointestinal signs and symptoms highlight in the clinical picture, a considerable percentage of these patients are affected by oral manifestations before the onset of gastrointestinal symptoms. This lesions can cause significant functional and aesthetics damages as well deteriorate the patient quality of life. Conclusions: Although the frequency of oral manifestations is variable across GIDs and in most cases is non-specific, these alterations may precede the underlying disease and therefore can facilitate an opportune diagnosis.