Oral Manifestations of Systemic Diseases

Abstract

Oral lesions in cats are common disorders that adversely affect quality of life. Certain conditions (eg, stomatitis) may develop very early in life in some purebred cats. These lesions are frequently encountered in geriatric cats and in individuals that are immunosuppressed or have chronic systemic disease. Immunosuppression facilitates the involvement of opportunistic agents, disrupts the microbiota, and contributes to the development of oral lesions. In addition, infectious diseases, metabolic disorders, and multifactorial etiological factors are implicated in their pathogenesis. Many systemic diseases have oral manifestations. These manifestations can be categorized, based on histopathological/clinical features and etiology, into stomatitis, gingivitis, gingivostomatitis, chronic ulcerative stomatitis, lymphoplasmacytic gingivitis/stomatitis, and feline chronic gingivostomatitis.