Oral mucosal ulceration - a clinician’s guide to diagnosis and treatment

Oral mucosal ulceration is a common clinical complaint. Ulceration is often debilitating and affects patients from a wide age group. the clinician confronted with such a patient often feels overwhelmed by the different diagnostic possibilities. Given the wide spectrum of conditions encountered, it is striking that the common use of antibiotics and antifungals to treat oral ulceration, is largely inappropriate. this overview provides general dental practitioners (GDP’s) and other general healthcare workers with a broad classification of commonly encountered mucosal ulcerative lesions, a practical approach to reach a diagnosis and basic treatment strategies for each condition.