title: Oral mucosal morphea: a new variant.
abstract: Morphea is a cutaneous disorder characterized by an excessive collagen deposition. While in almost all cases the sclerosing process exclusively affects the skin, there are anecdotal cases in which associated mucosal involvement has been described. We here report the case of a woman developing a whitish indurated plaque over the left upper vestibular mucosa and hard palate leading to dental mobility and exposure of the roots of several teeth. Cone beam computed tomography of the left maxilla showed bone resorption involving the upper cuspid to the second molar region with widened periodontal ligament spaces, while light microscopy studies demonstrated epithelial atrophy and fibrosis of the dermis extending into the submucosa with hyalinization of subepithelial collagen. Our observation expands the spectrum of clinical presentations of morphea and provides the first example of isolated oral morphea. Its recognition is important to avoid significant local complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Inselspital-Bern University Hospital, and Department of Oral Surgery and Stomatology, Bern University, Bern, Switzerland. minmoon2005@yahoo.com
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Bornstein
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Irla
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Beltraminelli
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lombardi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Borradori
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D011859:Radiography; D012594:Scleroderma, Localized / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy; D014076:Tooth Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy; D014086:Tooth Mobility / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy; D014221:Triamcinolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D014221:Triamcinolone