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Skin diseases affecting the oro-facial region

Examination of the face and hands can identify significant skin diseases and also provide clues to the presence of underlying systemic disease. Many patients ignore even malignant skin tumours because they are often painless, subtle in appearance, and may be slow-growing. Dental healthcare professionals should be aware of how to recognize malig­nant skin tumours. If suspicious, but unsure of the nature of the lesion, the patient should be referred to their general medical practitioner for further evaluation. If malignancy is obvious, then an urgent referral to an appropriate specialist (dermatologist, plastic surgeon, or oral and max­illofacial surgeon) should be made using the ‘2-week wait’ (2WW) path­way (Chapter 1). Benign lesions and inflammatory diseases are more common and are important considerations in the differential diagnosis of head and neck skin abnormalities. It is important that the dental healthcare professional should be able to recognize common skin infections involving the oro-facial region. Some infections, such as erysipelas, can mimic cellulitis associated with a dental infection. When infection is diagnosed, it is vital to consider the underlying or predisposing factors, as these may be not only important diagnoses, but also may require treatment to achieve an effective clin­ical outcome. The adage ‘infection is the disease of the diseased’ is a useful reminder when dealing with patients presenting with infection. Direct inoculation of Streptococcus into skin through minor trauma is the most common initiating factor for erysipelas, which occurs in iso­lated cases. Infection involves the upper dermis and, characteristically, spreads to involve the dermal lymphatic vessels. Clinically, the disease starts as a red patch that extends to become a fiery red, tense, and indurated plaque. Erysipelas can be distinguished from cellulitis by its advancing, sharply defined borders and skin streaking due to lymphatic involvement. The infection is most common in children and the elderly, and whilst classically a disease affecting the face, in recent years it has more frequently involved the leg skin of elderly patients. Although a clinical diagnosis can be made without laboratory testing, and treat­ment is antibiotic therapy, when the diagnosis is suspected in dental practice, referral to a medical practitioner is recommended.