Oral staphylococcal mucositis - A new clinical entity in orofacial granulomatosis and Crohn's disease

Objective. Orofacial granulomatosis and the oral manifestations of Crohn's disease comprise many clinical features, of which stomatitis is one. The purpose of this study was to establish a role for Staphylococcus aureus in mucositis affecting some patients with orofacial granulomatosis or oral Crohn's disease. Study design. Four patients (2 with orofacial granulomatosis and 2 with oral Crohn's disease), from a total of 450 patients examined over 10 years, had stomatitis involving the entire oral mucosa, from which S aureus was cultured by the oral rinse technique. These patients were treated with flucloxacillin or erythromycin. Results. A heavy growth of S aureus was isolated from the mouth of each patient. All 4 patients responded to treatment with flucloxacillin or erythromycin. Conclusions. S aureus is a potential cause of panstomatitis in patients with orofacial granulomatosis or Crohn's disease. This infection responds rapidly to antimicrobial treatment.