Autoimmune Conditions affecting Oral Cavity

Autoimmune bullous diseases are associated with autoantibodies directed against structures that mediate cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion in skin and mucous membrane. Primary or extensive oral involvement is the hallmark of further inflammatory autoimmune conditions, including lichen planus, erythema multiforme, lupus erythematosus and chronic ulcerative stomatitis .Various autoimmune diseases may involve oral epithelium, including pemphigus vulgaris, mucous membrane pemphigoid, epidermolysis bullosa acquisita, lichen planus, erythema multiforme, lupus erythematosus and chronic ulcerative stomatitis. Affected individuals present with variable degrees of oral mucosal lesions associated with extraoral manifestations due to involvement of the skin and/or further mucosal surfaces, including nasal mucosa, pharyngeal mucosa or the conjunctiva. The clinico-epidemiological features of autoimmune diseases have been studied in different populations worldwide. However, the majority of existing reports focus on the epidemiology of a single disease or a group of diseases and only a few describe the epidemiological features of the whole spectrum of autoimmune diseases in particular population.