Oral lesions in niacin, riboflavin, pyridoxine, folic acid, and pantothenic acid deficiencies in adult dogs

Abstract

Riboflavin deficiency in dogs is associated with patchy atrophy of lingual papillae over the anterior two-thirds of the dorsum. The extent of the involvement parallels the severity of general manifestations of the deficiency. The degenerative changes predominantly affect the epithelium, and the degree of degeneration depends upon the duration of the deficiency and the number of successive attacks of acute deficiency. The degeneration of the epithelium sets in along the layer of basal cells and is accompanied by rarefaction of the epithelium and the adjoining connective tissue. This is followed by necrosis of the deep layer of the epithelium and its subsequent removal by phagocytic cells and replacement by connective tissue.