Oral mucosal lesions in children from 0 to 12 years old: ten years' experience.
OBJECTIVE
The exact prevalence of oral lesions in childhood is not well known. We sought to define the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in a large group of children.


METHODS
A retrospective cross-sectional study was performed using clinical charts from January 1997 to December 2007. Data collected included age, gender, and pathologic diagnosis.


RESULTS
In total, 10,128 children (0-12 years old) were enrolled. Clinical diagnostic criteria proposed by the World Health Organization were followed. The frequency of children presenting oral mucosal lesions was 28.9%, and no differences related to gender were observed. The most frequent lesions recorded were oral candidiasis (28.4%), geographic tongue and other tongue lesions (18.5%), traumatic lesions (17.8%), recurrent aphthous ulcerations (14.8%), herpes simplex virus type 1 infections (9.3%), and erythema multiforme (0.9%). Children suffering from chronic diseases had a higher frequency of oral lesions compared with healthy children (chi-square: P < .01).


CONCLUSIONS
Mucosal alterations in children are relatively common, and several oral disorders are associated with underlying medical conditions.
Majorana
Alessandra
A
Dental Institute, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
Bardellini
Elena
E
Flocchini
Pierangela
P
Amadori
Francesca
F
Conti
Giulio
G
Campus
Guglielmo
G
D002180:Candidiasis, Oral / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004892:Erythema Multiforme / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005929:Glossitis, Benign Migratory / Q000453:epidemiology; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009055:Mouth / Q000293:injuries; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013281:Stomatitis, Aphthous / Q000453:epidemiology; D013283:Stomatitis, Herpetic / Q000453:epidemiology; D014060:Tongue Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology