Causes of Oral Granulomatous Disorders: An Update and Narrative Review of the Literature

Abstract

Granulomatous diseases include a diverse range of chronic inflammatory disorders with a wide variety of pathologies and clinical characteristics. In particular, the orofacial region can be affected by granulomatous conditions—whether as an isolated disease or as part of a systemic disorder. Regardless of the nature of the disease or its mechanism of development, precise diagnosis can be challenging, as etiopathogenesis may be driven by several causes. These include reactions to foreign bodies, infections, immune dysregulation, proliferative disorders,, medications, illicit drugs, and hereditary disorders. Granulomas can be identified using histopathological assessment but are not pathognomonic of a specific disease, and therefore require correlation between clinical, serological, radiographical, and histopathological findings. The purpose of this review is to provide a summary of the etiopathogenesis, clinical and histopathologic characteristics, and treatment of oral granulomatous disorders.