Oral and temporomandibular tuberculosis: A State-of-the-art literature review

Abstract

Introduction: Misdiagnosis of tuberculosis of the maxillofacial region can be fatal. Objective: To review the literature on the epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and manifestations of systemic, oral, and temporomandibular tuberculosis. Methodology: A literature review was carried out in PubMed and Google Scholar databases using the keywords: tuberculosis, oral, temporomandibular, epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, manifestations, and the Boolean parameters and, or and not. Results: In recent years, tuberculosis in Mexico has increased 27%. Molecular diagnostic tests are the diagnostic methods of first choice when tuberculosis is suspected. Antituberculosis chemotherapy effectively resolves most oral and temporomandibular manifestations. The main oral and temporomandibular manifestations are persistent ulcerative lesions and chronic joint wear and tear, respectively. Conclusions: The oral health professional should be able to become the first line of control to break the chain of contagion of tuberculosis, thus reducing the morbimortality of those who suffer from it.