Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain

Korean Academy of Orofacial Pain and Oral Medicine (대한안면통증구강내과학회)
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Early Diagnosis and Management of Oral Pemphigus Vulgaris Lesions of Various Presentations

  • Seo-Young Choi (Department of Oral Medicine, Dental Research Institute, Pusan National University Dental Hospital) ;
  • Soo-Min Ok (Department of Oral Medicine, Dental Research Institute, Dental and Life Science Institute, School of Dentistry, Pusan National University) ;
  • Sung-Hee Jeong (Department of Oral Medicine, Dental Research Institute, Dental and Life Science Institute, School of Dentistry, Pusan National University) ;
  • Yong-Woo Ahn (Department of Oral Medicine, Dental Research Institute, Dental and Life Science Institute, School of Dentistry, Pusan National University) ;
  • Hye-Min Ju (Department of Oral Medicine, Dental Research Institute, Dental and Life Science Institute, School of Dentistry, Pusan National University)
  • Received : 2023.12.01
  • Accepted : 2023.12.11
  • Published : 2023.12.30
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Abstract

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a chronic autoimmune bullous disease caused by autoantibodies to proteins in the oral mucosa and skin. It is a rare disease with an annual incidence of 2.059 per million in South Korea. In many patients with PV, oral mucosal lesions precede other lesions elsewhere, and oral lesions can be the only manifestation. Early diagnosis is important because the disease has a high mortality rate if untreated appropriately in the early stages, and rapid treatment initiation is associated with rapid disease control. Oral PV lesions are clinically variable. In this study, we describe oral PV lesions in a 60-year-old woman, a 75-year-old man, and a 60-year-old man presenting with various clinical presentations. Oral PV lesions can affect any part of the oral mucosa, including the buccal mucosa, gingiva, tongue, palate, and free mucosa, and can vary in appearance from desquamative gingivitis, painful ulcers, and erosions to aphthous-like stomatitis. Clinicians should be aware of the difficulty of early diagnosis in PV, particularly when oral lesions are the only manifestation, and should consider many factors, including the patient's age, to make an accurate diagnosis and manage oral lesions to improve the patient's quality of life and avoid delayed diagnosis.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This study was supported by a Clinical Research Grant, Pusan National University Dental Hospital 2022.

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