Allergic Oral Mucositis due to Musical Instrument Metal : A Case Report

Abstract

Metal allergy is an allergic reaction that occurs when metal touches the skin or mucous membranes, and eluted metal ions are taken into the body. Here we report a case of metal allergy caused by the mouthpiece of a musical instrument. The patient was a girl of 10 years and 8 months. Since joining the brass band club of her elementary school, gingival swelling and inflammation in the oral cavity had appeared. Therefore, a patch test and a blood test were performed by a local clinic, but both metal allergies and autoimmune diseases were denied. At the first visit to our hospital, the labial and buccal gingiva and buccal mucosa presented mild spontaneous pain and diffuse swelling with redness. The gingiva bled easily, and had grown over, forming false pockets. The periodontopathic bacteria were below reference values in the periodontopathic bacteria test. Histopathological examination revealed that the gingival overgrowth was periodontitis. Although we started to provide professional oral care, her condition did not improve. Eleven months later, the inflammation in the oral cavity drastically improved. We found that the musical instrument (tuba) had been changed to a new one. After that, the condition of the oral mucosa was healthy. The old mouthpieces had some spots where the plating had peeled off. Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry was carried out for an element analysis of the mouthpieces, and a metal patch test was also performed. The results showed that she may have had an allergic response to Cr. Finally, we diagnosed oral mucositis caused by metal allergies. The patient made steady progress after the mouthpiece was changed.