Oral Pathology

Flipchart
Carissa Wachendorf
 The study of diseases that affect the
mouth and other surrounding facial
structures.
Not only is it important to be able to
Oral locate these potentially harmful lesions,
Pathology it is also important to be able to know the
next steps needed for treatment.
 Possible removal and follow up after
lesion has been removed may also be a
step in the treatment process.
  Trauma  Smoking/chewing
tobacco
 Genetic abnormality
 Alcohol
Causes of  Bacteria/
microorganisms  Drugs
Oral
 Infection  Sun exposure
Pathologies  Hormones
 Medications
 Self-induced  Nutrition
 • Ask patient questions
about any changes in
mouth.
• Inspect, palpate and
measure lesion.
A Dental • How long has the lesion
been there?
Hygienist’s • Is the lesion painful?
Role in Oral • Within normal limits?
• Variant of normal or
Pathology abnormal?
• Capable of causing disease?
• All of these questions need
to be answered in order to
be diagnosed (by dentist).
 A variant of normal is a common
Variant of pathology that is typical to find in the
oral cavity. It is considered to be a
Normal pathology within normal limits and is
not a cause for concern.
  Geographic tongue causes
red and white patches that
have a map like appearance.
 Undetermined how the
condition forms but is
typically genetic related.
 Harmless condition and not
linked to cancer or any kind
of infection.
Geographic  Tobacco, hot, spicy or acidic
foods and toothpastes with
Tongue whitening agents are a few
things that can cause
occasional sensitivity to
those with the condition.
 If person has pain with
condition, OTC pain
relievers and anti-
inflammatories are a couple
options to relieve some
discomfort.
  Flat, blue or gray lesion
caused from amalgam
being introduced into the
tissue.
 Can occur with the
placement or removal of
an amalgam restoration as
Amalgam well as an extraction.
Tattoo  Can be diagnosed with
radiographs.
 No treatment needed due
to not being a cause for
concern.
 Can be laser removed for
esthetic concerns.
  One of the most common
conditions found in/around
the oral cavity.
 Typically white to yellow in
color.
 Ultimately trapped
sebaceous (oil) glands.
Fordyce  Can be caused from
clogged pores from the
Granules use of Chapstick.
 Not painful or itchy.
 No treatment is needed
unless it becomes a
cosmetic concern for
person.
  A benign growth of bone
on roof of mouth.
 Not a cause for concern.
 Can be genetic or caused
from vitamin deficiencies,
large consumption of fish
or foods high in calcium.
Palatal Tori  May cause discomfort,
especially if interfering
with dentures or other
dental appliances.
 Can be removed, but
won’t necessarily prevent
it from growing back.
  A white horizontal line
located on the inside of
the cheek.
 Caused from biting down
and consistently pinching
the cheek, creating trauma
to tissue.
 Not a cause for concern.
Linea Alba  Due to anatomy of the
teeth and how upper and
lower teeth contact each
other.
 Person can invest in
nightguard to help
condition at night but will
not insure condition will go
away.
  A clear or blue cyst formed
underneath the tongue.
 Due to blocked sublingual
or submandibular gland.
 Resembles underbelly of
frog.
 Don’t typically cause pain.
 If large enough can interfere
with chewing, eating,
Ranula speaking or swallowing.
 Smaller ranula’s usually
don’t require treatment.
 Larger ranula’s that effect
speaking or swallowing may
be encouraged for surgical
removal or draining to
reduce inflammation.
 If removed, cyst as well as
parent sublingual gland will
also be removed.
 Abnormal oral pathologies are
lesions/sores that form spontaneously or
don’t heal properly and can be very painful
Abnormal for the individual. They can cause lumps to
Oral form, white/red patches, discoloration of
the mouth and sores that keep forming or
Pathologies don’t fully heal. They can potentially be
cancerous but can be cured if detected
early on.
  Hematoma’s cause tissue to
enlarge due to blood being
outside of the blood vessels.
 Typically caused by trauma
inflicted to area.
 Could have been caused
during oral surgery or biting
Hematoma cheek or lip.
 Can be painful and may take
weeks to months to go away.
 Usually goes away on it’s own
but helps to ice the area to
reduce swelling or using a
heating pad on/near area if
possible.
  Built up scar-tissue.
 Typically caused from
biting on tissue.
 Can be found on the
tongue, gingiva or cheeks.
Irritation  Will not go away on its
own due to added tissue to
Fibromas area.
 Can be surgically removed
by laser or other excision
methods.
 Will not stop fibroma from
reforming after removal.
  Thick, white plaque on
palate with several red
dots surrounding white
areas.
 Caused from smoking
out of a pipe, cigarettes
or cigars.
Nicotinic  Benign lesion.
 Irritant due to heat put
Stomatitis off while smoking.
 Will continue to be
inside mouth as long as
person is still smoking.
 Only treatment for
lesion is to stop
smoking.
  A birthmark or a mole.
 Range from a light brown to
blue in color.
 Can form from
environmental or genetic
factors.
 Asymptomatic.
Nevus  Most common areas where
a nevus forms can be on the
lip, cheek or hard palate.
 Very rare to occur in mouth.
 Easily mistaken for intraoral
melanoma.
 Usually surgically removed
if found in oral cavity.
  Small red splotches
 Similar to a bruise.
 Occur from blood leaking
into the tissues under the
skin.
 Can be caused from disorders
that affect blood clotting,
certain medications,
infection in the blood, etc.
 Purpura will typically go away
Purpura on its own.
 If lesion does not go away,
doctor may suggest to stop
taking any medications such
as blood thinners, aspirin or
ibuprofen.
 These medications affect
platelet function.
 May also be prescribed
corticosteroids to help
increase platelet function and
heal purpura.
  A yeast/fungal infection.
 Also called “oral thrush.”
 White splotchy lesions
occurring on tongue and other
areas of the oral cavity.
 Can be caused from
medications, xerostomia,
cancer chemotherapy,
Oral diabetes mellitus, dentures,
HIV infection, infancy and
other factors.
Candidiasis  Will not be able to be sloughed
off.
 Treated by prescription
antifungal mouthwashes,
lozenges or unsweetened
yogurts.
 If mouthwashes or lozenges do
not help, other antifungal
drugs may be prescribed.