Periodontal manifestations of Langerhans cell histiocytosis: a systematic review

To explore the evidence of periodontal manifestations and treatment modalities in patients with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH).

A systematic literature search was performed and the criteria for PRISMA and risk of bias assessment were applied. Human clinical studies (≥10 patients) presenting patients with LCH and periodontal findings were considered for inclusion.

From 298 titles identified, six case series with a total of 1278 patients suffering from LCH were included. In these studies, oral symptoms were reported in a frequency ranging from 10 to 100%. Overall, in 216 patients (17%), oral symptoms were observed. Out of these patients, 49–100% demonstrated periodontal symptoms. The most common oral findings were pain, swelling, tooth loss/mobility, and bone lesions. Specific periodontal findings comprised varying frequencies of gingival ulcerations, increased pocket depths, and gingival bleeding. Treatment measures constituted of surgical curettage of bone lesions, soft tissue excision and/or tooth extractions, radiotherapy, systemic chemotherapy, or a combination of these approaches. Healing without recurrence of oral lesions was reported in most of the cases.

The available evidence on periodontal manifestations in LCH patients is heterogeneous. Several oral and periodontal findings were reported and may occur as initial symptoms and/or at later stages of the disease.

The dentist should be aware of possible oral involvement of systemic diseases such as LCH, and these manifestations may mimic periodontal disease.