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Objective: Tuberculosis (Tb) is a fatal infectious disease that primarily affects the pulmonary system and rarely occurs in other body organs including oral cavity. The aim of this study was to report all patients with primary manifestations of oral tuberculosis and to evaluate the clinical characteristics of oral tuberculosis lesions. All these patients were subsequently diagnosed with tuberculosis based on oral histological findings and referred for management and therapy. Materials and Methods: Twelve patients with oral lesions from the year 2010 to 2018 were histologically diagnosed as having tuberculosis, who did not give any history of the disease, following surgical biopsy. Clinical symptoms, auxiliary examinations, treatments, and outcomes were recorded and analyzed. Results: Oral TB was found in all 12 patients; 8 males and 4 females, with male to female ratio 8:4. Involved oral sites included the angle of the mandible (one case), right mandibular molar region (two cases), left mandibular molar region (four cases), gingiva (three cases), buccal mucosa (one case), and the tongue (one case). Oral TB patients in this series ranged in the age group of 6–65 years. All the lesions were suggestive of primary tuberculosis. The appearance of the affected mucosa in oral TB was variable. The most common manifestation was ulceration and swelling of the mucosa. Conclusion: TB should be considered in patients with oral ulcerations and swellings. A biopsy specimen for histological study, acid-fast stains, and cultures should be obtained for confirmation and differential diagnosis along with other conditions.

Background: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the oral cavity. Although many factors have been suggested as possible causes of RAS, its precise etiology is controversial. Vitamin B12 (vit B12) and iron deficiencies may cause RAS. Aims: We investigated the level of serum hemoglobin (Hb) and vit B12 in patients with RAS and to compare them with healthy controls. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective, cross-sectional study. Patients who had had at least one episode of oral ulcerations per month since childhood were diagnosed as having RAS. Blood samples were drawn from the RAS group and control group for measuring blood Hb and vit B12 concentrations. Results: Exactly 195 patients (62 men and 133 women) with RAS and 217 healthy controls (62 men and 155 women) were enrolled in the study. The RAS group had significantly lower mean Hb levels than the control group (P < 0.001). No significant difference in the mean vit B12 level was demonstrated between the study group and controls. Around 58 (29.7%) patients were diagnosed as Hb deficient in the RAS group and 21 (9.7%) patients in controls. Vit B12 deficiency was diagnosed in 63 (32.3%) individuals in the RAS group and 32 (14.7%) individuals among controls. Conclusions: In our study, vit B12 and Hb deficiency were found higher in patients with RAS compared to the control group. Therefore, we suggested the investigation of the level of vit B12 and Hb in patients with RAS.

We report a rare case of progressive corneal blindness in a 65-year-old female, who was diagnosed as cicatricial pemphigoid, after almost three decades of suffering recurrent oral ulcerations. The left eye was affected earlier, and to a greater extent and severity. Subsequently, the disease progressed to complete corneal keratinization in the left eye. This case highlights the natural course of the disease, wherein the patient finally sought ophthalmic consultation for the recurrent appearance of a horn like growth in the left eye along with vision impairment due to cataractous change in the less affected right eye. At this time, patient had obvious features of ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (OCP) such as formation of multiple symblephara in the right eye and a hard dry growth in an immobile, blind left eye. To the best of our knowledge, corneal keratin horn formation has not been reported as a feature of OCP so far.