Dermatitis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Dermatitis, including details on contact-, seborrheic-, atopic-, allergic-dermatitis, treatment.

Toxic epidermal necrolysis with a rare long-term oral complication requiring surgical intervention.

Sedghizadeh PP, Kumar SK, Gorur A, Mastin C, Boros AL

Division of Diagnostic Sciences and Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology, School of Dentistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0641, USA. sedghiza@usc.edu

BACKGROUND: Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is a rare and potentially fatal adverse dermatologic reaction, often secondary to drug intake. METHODS AND RESULTS: We report a case of an adult male who developed TEN that was complicated by a sepsis-induced coma lasting a period of 3 months. Although the patient eventually recovered, severe oral mucosal involvement during the course of disease resulted in frenum-like fibrotic bands that connected movable oral mucosa (tongue and lips) to attached oral mucosa (gingiva). This complication was painful and also affected his ability to speak and maintain adequate oral hygiene, requiring surgical intervention to restore structure and function. CONCLUSIONS: This oral manifestation in relation to TEN is rarely reported in the literature and represents a preventable complication.

Published 10 March 2008 in Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod, 105(4): e29-33.
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