Pseudopathologies and Examination of the Oral Mucosa

Oral mucosa for shedding light on diagnosis of many cutaneous and systemic diseases, is an area not to be overlooked during the physical examination. Unlike cutaneous lesions, oral mucosa includes the non-keratinized sections and since it has anatomically and histologically special structures such as salivary glands and papillaries, the physician must recognize some detail, and features during the examination. To distinguish of usual and unusual changes in this area is important for both diagnostic and therapeutic aspects. In this presentation, a detailed explanation of how each area of the mouth should be examined is provided and normal variations of oral mucosa are emphasized.