Orofacial disease: update for the dental clinical team: 2. Ulcers, erosions and other causes of sore mouth. Part I.

Mouth ulcers are one of the most common oral complaints. The term ulcer is used usually where there is damage to both epithelium and lamina propria, and a crater, sometimes made more obvious clinically by swelling caused by oedema or proliferation in the surrounding tissue. The term erosion is usually used where the damage is somewhat more superficial. Most ulcers/erosions are due to local causes such as trauma or burns. Some are caused by aphthae or malignant neoplasms, and a few have aetiology in obvious systemic disease. Ulcers of local cause, drugs, aphthous ulcers, Behcet's syndrome and malignant ulcers are discussed in this article. The next two articles discuss the ulcers due to systemic disease including disorders of the blood, gastrointestinal disorders, skin diseases, connective tissue disease and infective diseases.