Oral psoriasis: A diagnostic dilemma

Abstract

Psoriasis is a chronic, genetically linked, scaly, and inflammatory disease of the skin. Oral manifestations of psoriasis are rare and are often difficult to diagnose. A 35-year-old female presented with gum bleeding, chronic irritation, intolerance to salt and spicy food, and frequent occurrence of painful mouth ulcers with a fissured tongue. Examination of the oral cavity showed desquamations on the buccal mucosa with pedunculated and exophytic growths and also slight gingival enlargements in the anterior segment. The exophytic growths along with gingival enlargement were excised and sent for histopathological examination, which revealed them to be psoriasis. Oral psoriasis is a rare entity and might be confused with other oral mucous membrane dermatoses; hence, it should be considered under differential diagnosis of oral mucous membrane disorders and confirmed histopathologically.