Tuberculosis of the oral cavity:

Tuberculosis is a systemic disease with a worldwide distribution and its occurrence in the oral cavity is well documented. But tuberculous lesions of the oral cavity have become so infrequent that it is virtually a forgotten disease entity and may pose a diagnostic problem. Normally, the intact oral mucous membrane possesses a natural resistance to invasion of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative organism, which is attributed to the mechanical cleansing action of saliva and food, the presence of salivary enzymes, tissue antibodies, oral saprophytes and the thickness of the protective epithelial covering. Any type of trauma causing a breach in this lining epithelium can provide an opportunity to the bacterium to enter, settle and initiate the disease process. Although the incidence of the disease is continuously decreasing, tuberculosis still remains a major health problem in various geographic locations. The purpose of this article is to emphasize the importance of early diagnosis of primary and secondary tuberculosis of oral cavity, which may be misdiagnosed to be malignant lesions, which are common in developing nations.