The oral mucosa in paucibacillary leprosy: a clinical and histopathological study

BackgroundInvolvement of the oral mucosa can occur in lepromatous leprosy; however, lesions in the oral mucosa of paucibacillary patients have not been previously observed.ObjectiveThe objective of this study is to determine whether clinical and subclinical lesions exist in oral mucosa in nontreated paucibacillary leprosy patients, using clinical and histopathological examination.Materials and MethodsA clinical and histopathological study involving 30 untreated paucibacillary leprosy patients was conducted. All patients underwent biopsies of the buccal mucosa, soft palate, and tongue. When acid-fast bacilli in association with inflammatory infiltrate, granulomatous or not, were encountered, it was considered “specific” involvement of the oral mucosa; and “nonspecific” involvement when the bacilli were not encountered.ResultsEight nonspecific chronic inflammatory reactions and 1 granulomatous inflammatory process without acid-fast bacilli were detected.ConclusionsPaucibacillary leprosy patients do not exhibit specific, clinical or subclinical, involvement in the oral mucosa; nonspecific alterations occur even in the absence of signs and symptoms.