Oral lesions associated with Dengue fever

Abstract

Aims: Dengue is one of the most common arthropod-borne infection, which is of great public health importance. Literature presenting the specific and nonspecific general symptoms of dengue is available. However, descriptions of oral manifestations of dengue are not easily available. The aim of this study is to describe the uncommonly presented manifestations with importance to oral presentation. Methods and Materials: After obtaining institutional ethical clearance, 200 dengue cases were subjected to clinical and laboratory examinations. Dengue fever (DF) was diagnosed based on the World Health Organization (WHO) clinical criteria and serology. Informed consent was obtained from every patient. Results: The most common oral manifestations were lip crust and tongue coating. The occurrence of petechiae, erythema, gingival bleeding, and hemorrhagic plaque was associated with prolonged bleeding time, and it was a statistically significant association. There was also a statistically significant association between thrombocytopenia and tongue coating. Conclusions: Oral manifestations are an important finding in dengue patients. The timely identification of these symptoms can aid in the diagnosis and help the effective management of the disease.