Ulcerative Diseases
Traumatic Ulcer
aka Traumatic Ulceration · Factitious Ulcer
Painful mucosal ulcer resulting from mechanical, thermal, or chemical injury with identifiable cause.
Cause
Identifiable trauma
Healing
10-14 days
Red flag
Non-healing >2 weeks
Red Flags
- ·No healing >2 weeks
- ·Indurated margins
- ·Lymphadenopathy
§ overviewOverview
Break in oral mucosa due to extrinsic injury.
§ icdICD Classification
K12.0
§ etiologyEtiology
- 01Sharp tooth/restoration
- 02Denture irritation
- 03Accidental biting
- 04Burns (hot food)
- 05Chemical injury (aspirin burn)
§ epidemiologyEpidemiology
Extremely common; any age.
§ pathogenesisPathogenesis
Epithelial disruption → exposure of connective tissue → inflammatory response → healing.
§ clinicalClinical Features
- 01Painful ulcer with erythematous halo
- 02Yellow-white fibrin base
- 03Adjacent to identifiable traumatic source
- 04Heals within 10–14 days after cause removal
§ differentialDifferential Diagnosis
- 01Aphthous ulcer
- 02SCC
- 03Syphilitic chancre
- 04TB ulcer
§ investigationsInvestigations
- 01Clinical + removal of cause
- 02Biopsy if no healing in 2 weeks
§ treatmentTreatment
- 01Remove traumatic agent
- 02Smooth sharp edges
- 03Topical analgesics/steroids
- 04Chlorhexidine rinse
§ complicationsComplications
- 01Secondary infection
- 02Chronic traumatic ulcer if cause persists
§ prognosisPrognosis
Excellent; heals rapidly after cause removed.
§ examKey Examination Points
- 01Identifiable cause
- 02Heals 10-14 days
- 03Biopsy if non-healing
§ revisionQuick Revision Summary
- 01Cause-related ulcer
- 02Remove cause = healing
- 03Biopsy if >2 weeks
§ vivaBDS Viva Questions
- 01When would you biopsy a traumatic ulcer?
- 02How do you differentiate from SCC?
- 03What is Riga-Fede disease?
§ mcqsMCQs — Assessment (3)
Question 1
Traumatic ulcer should heal within:
Question 2
Indication for biopsy:
Question 3
Riga-Fede disease is:
References
- Neville BW. Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology, 4e
Draft — pending faculty review. Educational use only; verify against current guidelines and primary sources before clinical application.