Many patients with Crohn’s disease and other systemic diseases visit a dentist without a definitive diagnosis. Dentists can potentially recognize oral symptoms associated with systemic diseases, enabling the duration of patients’ illnesses to be shortened.
Here, we report a case of an 8-year-old girl diagnosed with Crohn’s disease due to oral symptoms. She had swelling in her upper lip and visited her local dentist, who applied Dexamethasone oral ointment to her lip. However, her symptoms did not improve, and she was referred to our department for further examination and treatment. On close examination, gingivitis and cheilitis granulomatosa related to inflammatory bowel disease were suspected, and the child was referred to the Department of Pediatrics of the hospital the next day for a whole-body examination. Due to inconclusive diagnosis after a close examination at the same department, the patient was referred to the Department of Pediatrics of a certain university hospital for further examination, where, after a close examination, she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.
Nutrition therapy with Elental and drug therapy with mesalazine were started. Currently, the patient’s gastrointestinal symptoms and oral lesions have resolved.
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