Oral Ulceration with Bone Sequestration: Key Insights for Clinicians and Their Relevance in Contemporary Clinical Practice—A Narrative Systematic Review

TL;DR

This review summarizes key clinical features of oral ulceration with bone sequestration to help clinicians diagnose and manage this rare condition.

Contribution

The paper provides a systematic review of OUBS, highlighting its clinical and radiographic characteristics for better diagnostic clarity.

Findings

OUBS predominantly affects males aged 50–59 years and is most commonly located in the mandible.

Surgical intervention is the most common treatment, with over two-thirds of cases healing within four weeks.

Pain is the most frequent symptom, and radiographs often show no maxillary abnormalities.

Abstract

Background: Oral ulceration with bone sequestration (OUBS) is an uncommon clinical lesion characterized by painful mucosal ulceration associated with exposed and necrotic bone in the oral cavity, often without known factors inducing osteonecrosis. Despite its potential for diagnostic confusion with more serious lesions, such as medication-related osteonecrosis, OUBS remains poorly understood and underreported. Objectives: To systematically review the literature on OUBS and identify its main clinical and radiographic characteristics to assist in early diagnosis and appropriate management. Methods: A systematic review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A comprehensive search was conducted in the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases on 27 January 2024, to identify case reports, case series, and observational studies that described OUBS. Data extraction focused on demographic information, lesion location, clinical features, radiographic findings, possible etiological factors, management, and outcomes. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal tools were utilized to assess the quality of the case reports and series. Data were synthesized narratively due to heterogeneity among studies. Results: Fifty-seven patients from 22 studies were included. The male-to-female ratio was 2.5:1, with most cases (71.9%) occurring in males. The mean age was 50.22 ± 11.49 years, with the highest incidence in patients aged 50–59 years (64.9%). Most cases were localized to the mandible (94.7%). Clinically, lesions were shallow ulcers (mean size: 0.75 ± 0.85 cm). Pain was the most common symptom (88.9%). Radiographs revealed no significant maxillary abnormalities, but some cases showed radiopaque areas in the mandible. Surgical interventions were most common (40.4%), with complete healing in 67.7% of cases within 4 weeks. Limitations include the predominance of case reports and series, which limits the strength of evidence. Conclusions: Recognizing OUBS can prevent misdiagnosis and unnecessary interventions. Further studies are needed to clarify its etiology and natural history. Registration: This review was registered on the PROSPERO database (registration number CRD42024541416).

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