Leprosy Specific Orofacial Aspects

• Main Authors: Vathsala Naik, Raghavendra Kini, Smit Singla, Anjali Shetty
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2011-01-01
• Series: Journal of Indian Academy of Oral Medicine and Radiology
• Subjects: Leprosy; Oral lesion; Mycobacterium leprae; Treatment
• Online Access: http://www.jiaomr.in/article.asp?issn=0972-1363;year=2011;volume=23;issue=3;spage=216;epage=220;aulast=Naik;type=0

Leprosy is a chronic infection caused by Mycobactenum leprae, GHA- Hansen first identified the organism in 1873, so called Hansen disease. Mycobacterium leprae is a bacillus that presents a peculiar tropism for the skin and peripheral nerves. The upper airway has a great importance as a route of M. Leprae infection. The clinical spectrum of leprosy ranges from the tuberculoid form (TT) to the disseminative and progressive lepromatous form (LL). Cell-mediated immunity is considered to be the crucial defence against the disease and the magnitude of this immunity defines the extent of the disease- Facial lesions in leprosy can occur in all form of the disease and also in lepra reaction, oral lesions are rare but, when present, occur in the lepromatous form