Oral lesions in patients with tuberculosis: A cross-sectional study

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases and predominantly affects the lungs. TB could also occur in other sites of the body, such as the oral cavity. The oral manifestation incidence of TB is approximately 0.05%-5%. Despite being a rare occurrence, oral TB remains a challenging issue because of its nonspecific clinical presentation. This study aims to assess and determine the oral lesions of patients with TB. In this cross-sectional study, we examined the oral cavity of patients with TB to assess the appearance of oral lesions in each patient. In 30 patients with pulmonary TB, we identified 29 oral lesions on the tongue. One patient was suspected with oral tubercular lesion, and four patients had Candida infection-related lesions. Most lesions were classified as normal variant lesions of the oral mucosa, with the coated tongue exhibiting the highest incidence. The tongue is often affected by patients' systemic condition. Conclusion: Results suggest that although most patients with TB have oral lesions, the oral TB incidence remains rare. Considering that some lesions might be asymptomatic, dentists could play a vital role in the early diagnosis of lesions for further management.