Systemic and Oral Aspects in Celiac Disease for Dentistry

Celiac disease (CD) is a permanent intolerance to gluten proteins contained in some cereals such as wheat, rye, barley and oats. It is an enteropathy mediated by the immune system and therefore also known as gluten-sensitive enteropathy. It is characterized by total or subtotal villous atrophy of the proximal small intestine, leading consequently to poor absorption of most nutrients. The disease manifests itself mainly in the first two years of life, bung the small intestine the main affected organ, with clinical manifestations of diarrhea, vomiting and weight loss, but the diagnosis is often difficult due to the large number of atypical cases of disease. The average incidence of CD is 1 case per 1,000 live births. In Brazil, official statistics are unknown. It is estimated that there are 300,000 Brazilians have the disease. Celiac disease is more frequent in women, with a ratio of 2:1, and predominantly affects the white individuals. The objective was to review the literature covering DC and its relation to dentistry. A literature search was conducted in the databases Pubmed, Bireme and Lilacs, being selected scientific articles published between 1995 and 2015, in Portuguese and English, using the descriptors "Celiac Disease", "dentistry" "Oral Manifestations" and "enamel hypoplasia." In addition to the systemic changes, celiac disease can present oral and dental manifestations, the incidence of oral signs and symptoms in celiac patients shows the importance of the dentist to recognize that these changes may contribute as an aid in the diagnosis of enteropathy.