Clinical manifestations of syphilis in the oral cavity — a review

Authors

  • Ana Beatriz Villar Medeiros Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Center of Health Sciences, Department of Dentistry – Natal (RN), Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8356-3738
  • Renivânia Pereira da Silva Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, School of Science and Technology – Natal (RN), Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8055-8415
  • Francimária Aparecida da Silva Oliveira Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Center of Technology, Department of Biomedical Engineering – Natal (RN), Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4934-7294
  • Letícia Amanda Fontes de Morais Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Center of Health, Postgraduate Program Professional Master’s Degree in Health Management and Innovation – Natal (RN), Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9077-5501
  • Custódio Leopoldino de Brito Guerra Neto Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Center of Health, Postgraduate Program Professional Master’s Degree in Health Management and Innovation – Natal (RN), Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4934-7294
  • Ângelo Roncalli Oliveira Guerra Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Center of Technology, Department of Biomedical Engineering – Natal (RN), Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9289-7630
  • Andryele Eduarda de Araújo Medeiros Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Center of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering – Natal (RN), Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7925-1579
  • Maria Heloyze Medeiros de Araújo Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Center of Technology, Department of Biomedical Engineering – Natal (RN), Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9083-5682
  • Larissa de Alcântara Pereira Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, School of Science and Technology – Natal (RN), Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2543-8055

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5327/DST-2177-8264-2023351299

Keywords:

Syphilis, Sexually transmitted diseases, Public health

Abstract

Introduction: Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by Treponema pallidum bacterium, which impact on a significant increase in contagions reported worldwide, bringing up the need of urgent actions to ensure the control, treatment, and diagnosis of the disease. Objective: Given this context, this work presents a bibliographical review on syphilis, aiming to describe the most common oral manifestations that occur on the four stages of this infection. Methods: For the literature review, the searches were carried out in the PubMed, Science Direct, Scientific Electronic Library Online, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature and databases of Virtual Health Library. Results: Regarding the primary syphilis, the main clinical manifestations in the oral cavity include chancres in the palate, buccal mucosa, tongue, and lips. In the secondary stage, the presence of diffuse and nonspecific oral lesions was identified. In tertiary syphilis, stomatitis and glossitis are present, being the hard palate and the tongue the main affected regions. In congenital syphilis, the patients are affected with dental and jaw malformations. Conclusion: The clinical manifestations of syphilis in the oral cavity can appear at any stage of the infection, being the oral cavity the second most affected region by this sexually transmitted infection. Therefore, the knowledge regarding this subject is extremely important for health professionals, as well as for the population, being essential to carry out the correct diagnosis and adequate treatment for the rapid cure of this infection.

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Published

2023-03-22

How to Cite

1.
Villar Medeiros AB, Silva RP da, Oliveira FA da S, Fontes de Morais LA, Guerra Neto CL de B, Oliveira Guerra Ângelo R, et al. Clinical manifestations of syphilis in the oral cavity — a review. DST [Internet]. 2023 Mar. 22 [cited 2024 Mar. 29];35. Available from: https://www.bjstd.org/revista/article/view/1299

Issue

Section

Review Article