ORAL MANIFESTATIONS IN CHILDREN WITH GASTROINTESTINAL DISEASES: INTEGRATIVE REVIEW

Resumen

Introduction: Gastrointestinal diseases in children have increased in prevalence and may compromise growth, development and quality of life. Oral manifestations may represent early indicators of these conditions; however, evidence regarding their presentation in pediatric populations remains limited and heterogeneous, hindering robust clinical inferences. Objective: To identify oral manifestations in children with gastrointestinal diseases reported in the scientific literature. Methods: Integrative review of the literature based on searches of scientific articles at the databases Medline via Pubmed, LILACS, BBO, IBECS, BINACIS, CUMED, LIS, SciELO in 2024. For the search strategy, were used descriptors according to the Health Sciences Descriptor and the Medical Subject Headings system. The inclusion criteria were studies with patients under 15 years of age with gastrointestinal diseases and oral signs, and the exclusion criteria were articles which included patients older than 15 years of age, patients without oral signs, patients without gastrointestinal diseases, non-primary studies, histological and animal studies. Were selected articles published in English, Portuguese or Spanish. Results: A total of 16 articles were selected for analysis. Five of which addressed Crohn’s disease, 3 inflammatory bowel disease, 7 celiac diseases, 1 Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and celiac disease. Oral manifestations associated with gastrointestinal disorders included ulcers (reported in 13 of the 16 articles), enamel defects (7 articles), orofacial edema (6 articles), angular cheilitis (4 articles), cobblestone mucosal appearance (4 articles), and mucosal tags (1 article). Conclusions: The available evidence indicates that children with gastrointestinal disorders can present relevant oral manifestations, such as mucosal ulcerations, orofacial edema and enamel defects, which in some cases precede the systemic diagnosis. These steps reinforce the importance of dental examination in early suspicion of systemic diseases in childhood.

Keywords: Oral Manifestations; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Crohn Disease; Celiac Disease; Child.