English abstract
Objectives: We sought to determine the prevalence of immune-mediated skin disorders
(IMDs), their oral manifestations, and the related comorbidity among Omani patients
with IMDs attending the outpatient Department of Dermatology and Dental Clinic
at Al Nahdha Hospital, Muscat. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 236
newly-diagnosed patients with IMDs who attended the outpatient clinic between
September 2014 and September 2017. Data, such as age, sex, investigations, diagnosis,
comorbidity, and associated oral manifestations of the affected individuals, were collected
from the hospital health information system. Results: Of the 236 diagnosed cases of
IMD, lichen planus substantially comprised over half of the total cases (59.7%). This
was followed by relatively fewer cases of discoid lupus erythematosus (11.0%), systemic
lupus erythematosus (10.2%), and erythema multiforme (8.1%). Pemphigus vulgaris and
bullous pemphigus comprised only 3.0% and 4.2% of the total studied cases, respectively.
The other less common disorders found in our study were toxic epidermal necrolysis
(1.7%), pemphigus foliaceus (1.3%), and gestational pemphigoid (0.8%). Oral mucosal
involvement was seen more commonly with lichen planus (78.7%), pemphigus vulgaris
(71.4%), and erythema multiforme (75.0%), while systemic lupus erythematosus and
discoid lupus erythematosus were shown to appear with more comorbidities compared
to the other skin disorders studied. Conclusions: Several IMDs have considerable oral
involvement. These oral manifestations of the diseases may be overlooked by other
specialists leading to a delay in the diagnosis and its management. In order to circumvent
this delay, the analysis and evaluation of a disease need to be done by a team comprising
of a dental surgeon, dermatologist, and an oral medicine specialist.
