Disorders of the mouth

Disorders of the mouth, whether as a consequence of primary disorders, systemic disease or treatment, may be encountered across most medical specialties. Recurrent aphthous ulceration represents the most common primary oral disease, but oral lesions may indicate active systemic disease at less accessible sites such as the gut. Moreover, oral disease can have a detrimental impact on quality of life. For these reasons, it is important to be aware of the more common lesions affecting the oral cavity and to formulate a differential diagnosis appropriate for each lesion.