Differential diagnosis of oral mucosal erosions and ulcers in children

Abstract

Oral ulcers and erosions are of great clinical importance because they are common in childhood and adolescence and generally painful. They can be related to harmless conditions, such as recurrent aphthous stomatitis. On the other hand, they can be associated with severe systemic diseases making an early diagnosis and initiation of treatment necessary. We herein focus on the systematic presentation of differential diagnoses of oral ulcers and erosions in pediatric patients and present clues in the history and clinical features that are helpful to establish the diagnosis. Patient's age at the beginning of the symptoms, differentiation between acute and chronic course, distribution of mucosal lesions, additional involvement of the skin, extracutaneous symptoms, general condition of the patient, comorbidities and medication may be determining factors of the correct diagnosis. In children and adolescents aphthous stomatitis, infections and trauma are the most frequent causes of oral ulcerations or erosions of the mucous membranes.