Oral manifestations related to dengue fever: a systematic review of the literature

The focus on oral manifestations of dengue fever (DF) is not common in the scientific literature and the patient affected can present signs and symptoms that may not be noticed by dental professionals. This systematic review article was conducted to identify and discuss the oral manifestations related to DF. The electronic databases PubMed, Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Sciences (LILACS), Web of Science and Scopus were searched from November to December 2016 by two authors, simultaneously, using the search terms ‘dengue and oral manifestation’ combined. We included complete original articles, clinical trials and clinical case reports published in Portuguese, Spanish and English. No limits were applied to the year of publication. Review articles and those with no health outcomes were removed. A limited number of studies aimed to investigate the oral manifestations of DF (N = 25). However, several manifestations were identified in the oral cavity of patients diagnosed with DF such as acute gingival and palate bleeding, dryness of the mouth, taste changes, and erythematous plaque and vesicles on the tongue and palate. Osteonecrosis of jaw associated with DF was also reported. In conclusion, oral manifestations may represent a relevant contributory factor to identify DF disease among patients undergoing dental procedures in general practise.