An overview on oral manifestations of gastrointestinal diseases

74 erosion can be a consequence of gastroesophageal reflux disease [Tolia, 1997; Bishop, 1994; Schroeder, 1995], and the latter can be diagnosed in 25–83% of patients with caries, many of whom are children [-Smith, 2015]. It is worthwhile mentioning that in recent years an increase in tooth erosion has been highlighted (Mulic et al., 2013); in Europe its prevalence has been reported to be higher than 50% in young adults (age 18-35 years) (Bartlett et al., 2013). Other oral manifestations common in Crohn’s disease include geographic tongue, ulcers, stomatitis and periodontal disease [Bishop, 1972; Stankler, 1972; Van Dyke, 1986]. Moreover, oral alterations can be detected in up to one-third of pediatric patients with ulcerative colitis and are usually nonspecific [Katsanos, 2015]. The spectrum of oral lesions is wide, especially in Introduction Correlations between alterations in the oral cavity and systemic conditions have been widely reported (Chi, 2010; Majorana, 2010) and during the oral examination it is also possible to detect signs and symptoms of systemic diseases, such as mucocutaneous, immunologic disorders, hormone diseases, haematological conditions, systemic infections, and nutritional problems (US Department of Health, 2000). In particular, alterations in the oral cavity, as it is part of the gastrointestinal (GI) system, may reveal a GI disease, such as celiac disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease or inflammatory bowel disease. Oral manifestations include dental enamel defects, dental caries and aphthous ulcers which have been reported to occur in subjects with celiac disease and to regress with a gluten-free diet [Pastore, 2008]. Tooth An overview on oral manifestations of gastrointestinal diseases