Aim: Apart from various typical gastrointestinal symptoms, coeliac disease may have its clinical manifestations in the oral cavity which is the entrance of the gastrointestinal tract.
Methods: A systematic review of literature was performed using the following databases: Medline, Scopus, EBSCOhost and Cochrane Library for Systematic Review.
Inclusion criteria: observational or experimental original studies published in English with full text available between January 2000 and December 2022, regarding children and adolescents under the age of 20. Risk of bias was determined with the use of Risk Of Bias In Non-randomised Studies of Exposure.
Results: Thirty-four studies were included in the review. The analysis confirmed a higher prevalence of numerous oral manifestations in coeliac disease concerning both hard and soft tissues. Our study found the prevalence of dental enamel defects to be at the level of 17.9%-83.5% (P value <0.047) and recurrent aphthous stomatitis of 8.3%-69% (P value <0.039).
Conclusion: Oral manifestations may precede gastrointestinal symptoms. Patients presenting such manifestations should be screened for coeliac disease. The cooperation of gastroenterologists and dentists could lead to an increased detectability of coeliac disease.
Keywords: coeliac disease; enamel defect; oral health; oral ulcer; recurrent aphthous stomatitis.
© 2023 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (The Royal Australasian College of Physicians).