A validated discipline-specific questionnaire has been developed recently to assess the quality of life (QOL) in patients with chronic oral mucosal diseases. Use the Chronic Oral Mucosal Diseases Questionnaire for evaluating a diverse group of patients with chronic oral mucosal disease after therapy. Prospective convenience sample. Quality of life. Seventy patients seen in the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology with oral lichen planus, recurrent aphthous ulcers, pemphigus, and other chronic oral mucosal diseases were included in the study. Patients completed the questionnaire after undergoing treatment of their oral mucosal disease to assess their QOL. Patients older than age 35 years reported significantly lower QOL (p = 0.015) in the domain of social and emotional status. Significant age-related differences in QOL were not observed in other domains. Older individuals also reported a significantly lower overall QOL. Men reported significantly better oral health-related QOL than women did in pain and functional limitation: 16.14 ± 8.94 vs 21.44 ± 7.696, respectively (p = 0.010). Significant differences were not observed between sexes for other domains. Significant differences were observed between the disease groups only for recurrent aphthous ulcers and pemphigus (p = 0.005). Patients with pemphigus had the worst overall QOL (73.6 ± 5.6). Even after treatment, chronic oral mucosal diseases negatively affect patients’ QOL. Use of the Chronic Oral Mucosal Diseases Questionnaire may allow physicians to more effectively care for their patients with these diseases.

Dermoid cysts are malformations that are rarely seen in the oral cavity. An intraoral dermoid cyst grows slowly, but may enlarge and interfere with deglutition and speech, or can pose a critical risk to the airway and therefore require immediate surgical intervention. Dermoid cysts may develop above or below the mylohyoid muscle, causing a submental or submandibular swelling. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice and recurrence is rare. An intraoral approach for the treatment of large lesions presenting above the mylohyoid muscle provides good cosmetic and functional results. We report a case of a 26-year-old female who developed an epidermoid cyst presenting as a large sublingual swelling causing speech and swallowing difficulties. The lesion was surgically excised using an intraoral approach. Microscopic examination revealed a dermoid cyst of the epidermoid type. This case shows that dermoid cysts may be successfully diagnosed and managed using a series of simple yet effective clinical procedure.

Oral malodor one of the most common complaints with which patients approaches us thinking it can be detrimental to his self-image and confidence. Even though majority of oral malodor is of oral origin, there are multiple other systemic causes that have to be addressed while we diagnose and treat this condition. Most of these patients look up to oral care physicians for expert advice, it is critical for us to have the knowledge base and communication techniques to provide quality clinical assessment and implement effective intervention programs. This article reviews the various causes and the diagnostic modalities which will help us treat this multifaceted condition. Key words: Halitosis; Oral malodor; Systemic diseases; Diagnosis DOI: 10.3126/kumj.v8i2.3574 Kathmandu University Medical Journal (2010), Vol. 8, No. 2, Issue 30, 269-275

Aim: To asses morphological and morphometrical alterations of oral squamous epithelial cells in HIV infected individuals, and determine its diagnostic significance for HIV infection. Materials and Methods: Informed Consent was obtained from all study subjects. 40 adult HIV infected patients (experimental group) and 40 adult non-infected volunteers (control group) participated. Age, occupation, and relevant medical history were recorded. The following laboratory tests reports were recorded: complete blood cell counts, blood glucose levels, serum iron and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Oral smears were collected from normal appearing tongue and buccal mucosa of the individuals by exfoliative cytology. The cells were morphologically analysed and the nuclear area (NA), the cytoplasmic area (CA) and the nucleus-to-cytoplasm area ratio (NA/CA) were calculated. Cell yield, cell cohesion, presence/absence of inflammatory cells and candida were observed. Results: The cytological smears of HIV patients showed abundant cell yield and the epithelial cells were found to be in close cohesive clusters and both findings were found to be statistically significant. Nuclear cytoplasmic ratio was seen to be increased in 93.8% of HIV positive patientsand Mild to moderate pleomorphism was observed in 17.9% of HIV positive patients. HIV positive patients had a diminished inflammatory response and this was found to be statistically significant. Conclusion: Statistically significant deviations from normal oral epithelium were found in the study conducted. With further research, oral exfoliative cytology may form a new, painless, inexpensive diagnostic method for HIV infections.