Oral Sarcoidosis: Report of a Case and Review of Literature

Sarcoidosis is known as a systemic disorder characterized by the pathologic feature of noncaseating epithelioid cell granulomas. At present, the etiology of sarcoidosis remains unknown, but hypothetical causative agents include infectious organisms, environmental agents, and autoantigens. Lungs and thoracic lymph nodes are involved in approximately 90% of patients with sarcoidosis, presenting characteristic chest x-ray showing bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy (BHL). Diagnosis is established by clinical features, with histologic evidence of typical granulomas from tissue biopsy, and can be supported by chest x-rays. Although sarcoidosis affects any organ or part of the body, oral involvement has been infrequently reported. Oral sarcoidosis has typically been described as nontender, well-circumscribed, firm nodules that can affect almost any part of the oral mucosa. A review of the reports on oral sarcoidosis revealed that oral involvement usually appears in patients with known sarcoidosis, but there are also cases with a documented diagnosis of systemic sarcoidosis, in which the initial lesions developed in the oral cavity. Therefore, it is important to recognize the oral presentation of sarcoidosis because it may lead to a definitive diagnosis of systemic sarcoidosis. In this report, we review the clinical features and management of oral sarcoidosis from reported cases, including the presented case.