What rheumatologists should know about orofacial manifestations of autoimmune rheumatic diseases

Aline Lauria Pires Abrão, Caroline Menezes Santana, Ana Cristina Barreto Bezerra, Rivadávio Fernandes Batista de Amorim, Mariana Branco da Silva, Licia Maria Henrique da Mota, Denise Pinheiro Falcão

Orofacial manifestations occur frequently in rheumatic diseases and usually represent early signs of disease or of its activity that are still neglected in clinical practice. Among the autoimmune rheumatic diseases with potential for oral manifestations, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), inflammatory myopathies (IM), systemic sclerosis (SSc), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), relapsing polychondritis (RP) and Sjögren's syndrome (SS) can be cited. Signs and symptoms such as oral hyposalivation, xerostomia, temporomandibular joint disorders, lesions of the oral mucosa, periodontal disease, dysphagia, and dysphonia may be the first expression of these rheumatic diseases. This article reviews the main orofacial manifestations of rheumatic diseases that may be of interest to the rheumatologist for diagnosis and monitoring of autoimmune rheumatic diseases.