Pyostomatitis vegetans. A reactive mucosal marker for inflammatory disease of the gut

Abstract

Pyostomatitis vegetans is a rarely occurring disorder of the oral mucosa, which has a dramatic clinical picture and a striking histopathologic pattern. Moreover, the condition is a highly specific oral mucosal marker for inflammatory bowel disease, particularly ulcerative colitis. Our findings in two cases and a review of the literature emphasize the relationship of pyostomatitis vegetans to inflammatory bowel disease and the vegetating dermatoses.