GINGIVAL MANIFESTATIONS OF TUBERCULOSIS IN PEDIATRIC PATIENTS: SERIES OF FOUR CASES

Publication date: Available online 12 January 2019

Source: Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Oral Radiology

Author(s): Dr. Sunita Gupta, Dr. Puneet Vats, Dr. Abhishek Jha, Dr. Khushboo Singh, Dr. Sujoy Ghosh, Dr. Shruti Tandon, Dr. Ashwani Khanna, Dr. Seema Kapoor, Dr. Nita Khurana

Abstract

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was to evaluate gingival manifestation of tuberculosis (TB) in the oral cavity in pediatric patients.

METHOD

Four pediatric patients were enrolled in the study. Clinical symptoms, auxiliary examinations, treatments, and outcomes were recorded and analyzed.

Four pediatric patients who presented with atypical gingival lesions were thoroughly examine for local and systemic signs and symptoms along with detail history. All relevant investigations were performed to arrive a definitive diagnosis of oral tuberculous lesion. Based on final diagnosis, anti-tubercular therapy(ATT) started for all the pediatric patients and outcomes were measured.

RESULTS

All 4 cases responded very well to the treatment with complete resolution of the lesions within 6 months after the initiation of ATT.

CONCLUSION

Healthcare professionals should rule out TB as one of the differential diagnosis in the pediatric patients with atypical gingival lesions. Anti- tubercular therapy is strictly recommended for the treatment of oral tuberculosis to achieve good clinical outcomes. Rapid molecular tests based on nucleic amplification should be recommended for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in children and also for extrapulmonary tuberculosis as it is much faster and reliable than conventional methods.

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